Where Is It Hiding?
by Anonymous · ⭐ 1 · 🍴 0
🔎 How many tries does it take to find a strawberry in an 8-slot list? With linear search, switching direction from front to back drops tries from 7 to 2! But use the wrong stop rule and you might grab the wrong item. ✂️ With binary search, checking the middle cuts half the list every time — solving 16 slots in 3 tries and proving a missing number in 4. 🏷️ With direct lookup, labeling each slot lets you find anything in just 1 try, even with 100 slots! Built with code · Remix it to try your own list!
About this app
Where Is It Hiding? is an interactive educational app designed to teach foundational search algorithms in a visual and intuitive way. Users can explore three distinct methods for finding items in a list: linear search, binary search by halving sorted lists, and instant direct lookup using key tags. Through hands-on challenges and step-by-step visualizations, learners discover how algorithm choice impacts search efficiency as list sizes grow.
Use cases
- Students learning basic computer science concepts and search algorithms
- Teachers looking for a visual tool to demonstrate linear search, binary search, and hash lookups
- Beginners exploring how coding logic and list navigation work
Features
- Three interactive search modes: linear scanning, halving sorted lists, and direct tag lookup
- Step-by-step execution counters comparing lookups across search strategies
- Interactive missions and challenges to practice optimal searching techniques
- Live code preview displays showing the underlying search logic
- Sound toggle and reset controls for flexible learning