Binary search is a classic algorithm for efficiently finding an item in a sorted list by repeatedly dividing the search space in half. It's the algorithmic equivalent of playing "guess the number" where you keep guessing the middle number between a high and low boundary until you home in on the target, except it's usually searching for a particular value in a sorted array instead of a number in someone's head.

How to use it in a sentence

• I was struggling to find the bug in my code, so I used a binary search approach - I kept commenting out half the code until I narrowed it down to the one line that was causing the problem. It's like binary search but way less efficient and more frustrating.

• "Ugh, this list of JavaScript frameworks is so long, it's like searching for a needle in a haystack!"

"Why don't you just use binary search? Oh wait, I forgot, they keep releasing new frameworks so fast that the list is never actually sorted."

If you actually want to learn more...

• Find the best rational fraction approximation to a decimal number - This article explains how you can use concepts from binary search to efficiently find a rational number approximation for a given decimal number. Perfect for when you need to sound smart at dinner parties.

• Binary Sample Size Calculator - Want to sound like a real data scientist? Throw around terms like "binary outcomes", "statistical significance", and "power" while using this handy binary search based calculator to figure out your sample sizes.

• Real-time Full-text Search with Luwak and Samza - For when you need to do real-time full-text search and regular old binary search just isn't cutting it anymore. This article dives into some advanced query indexing techniques that let you avoid executing search queries entirely. The fastest query is the one you never execute!

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