Binary search using recursion
In this exercise, you will implement the binary search algorithm you just learned using recursion. Recall that a recursive function refers to a function calling itself.
This exercise is part of the course
Data Structures and Algorithms in Python
Exercise instructions
- Define the base case.
- Check whether the search value equals the value in the middle.
- Call the
binary_search_recursive()function recursively on the left half of the list. - Call the
binary_search_recursive()function recursively on the right half of the list.
Hands-on interactive exercise
Have a go at this exercise by completing this sample code.
def binary_search_recursive(ordered_list, search_value):
# Define the base case
if ____(ordered_list) == 0:
return False
else:
middle = len(ordered_list)//2
# Check whether the search value equals the value in the middle
if search_value == ____:
return True
elif search_value < ordered_list[middle]:
# Call recursively with the left half of the list
return ____(ordered_list[:middle], search_value)
else:
# Call recursively with the right half of the list
return ____
print(binary_search_recursive([1,5,8,9,15,20,70,72], 5))