How do you implement a binary search algorithm?

 To implement a binary search algorithm, you can follow these steps:

Set the left and right bounds of the search space. The left bound should be set to the first element of the array and the right bound should be set to the last element of the array.

Compute the middle index of the search space as (left + right) / 2. This is the index of the middle element of the search space.

Compare the middle element with the target value you are searching for. If the middle element is equal to the target value, you have found the element you are looking for and you can return its index.

If the middle element is greater than the target value, set the new right bound to the index of the middle element - 1, since you know that the target value must be in the left half of the search space.

If the middle element is less than the target value, set the new left bound to the index of the middle element + 1, since you know that the target value must be in the right half of the search space.

Repeat steps 2-5 until you find the target value or until the left bound is greater than the right bound. If the left bound is greater than the right bound, the target value is not in the array.

Here is a Python implementation of the binary search algorithm:

sql

def binary_search(arr, target):

    left = 0

    right = len(arr) - 1

    

    while left <= right:

        mid = (left + right) // 2

        

        if arr[mid] == target:

            return mid

        

        elif arr[mid] > target:

            right = mid - 1

        

        else:

            left = mid + 1

    

    return -1

This implementation assumes that the input array is sorted in ascending order.