Question

SeqSearch method can quite easily include self organization. If the search is successful, the item found is switched with the element at the first of the array using a swap function. What is the purpose of switching the item found with the element at the first of the array?

1) To improve the efficiency of future searches
2) To maintain the order of the array
3) To reduce the number of comparisons required
4) To prevent duplicate elements in the array

Answer 1

Switching the item with the first element in the array after a successful search is to improve future search efficiency, based on the self-organizing search heuristic.

Step-by-step explanation:

The purpose of switching the item found with the element at the first of the array after a successful search is to improve the efficiency of future searches. This concept is known as the self-organizing search, and it operates on the heuristic that items that are searched for frequently should be easier to find in the future. By swapping a recently accessed item to a more prominent position, subsequent searches for the same item will require fewer comparisons, on average, which can lead to an overall more efficient search process over time. This technique does not maintain the order of the array, prevent duplicate elements, nor is it specifically designed to reduce the number of comparisons in a single search instance.