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Implement Binary Search
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Implement Binary Search

EasyPython

Problem

How would you implement a binary search algorithm?

Given a sorted list of integers and a target value, return the target's index or -1 if it is absent. Implement the search iteratively and return any valid index when duplicate target values exist.

Contract

  • Function: def binary_search(nums, target):
  • Input: a sorted integer list and an integer target
  • Output: an integer index or -1

Constraints

  • 0 <= nums.length <= 10^4
  • -10^9 <= nums[i], target <= 10^9
  • nums is sorted in nondecreasing order

Function Signature

def binary_search(nums, target):
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