You are given a sorted list of book titles and are asked to locate a title within the data and report on the author. What would be the most appropriate algorithm to use?
a. merge sort
b. linear search
c. binary search
d. bubble sort
c. binary search
The most appropriate algorithm to use in this scenario would be c. binary search.
Binary search is efficient for searching in a sorted list where we repeatedly divide the search space in half, eliminating one half each time based on a comparison with the target value. This allows for a faster search as compared to linear search, which would involve checking each element one by one.
Merge sort (option a) and bubble sort (option d) are sorting algorithms and not specifically designed for searching. They can be used to sort the list of book titles but would not be the most efficient choice for searching.
Therefore, the correct answer is c. binary search.