Binary Search

Binary search is not just for finding an element in a sorted array. It is a general technique for eliminating half the search space at each step, and it applies whenever you can define a condition that splits possible answers into a valid half and an invalid half. The problems in this stage move from the textbook version to more creative applications: searching in rotated arrays, and binary searching on the answer itself rather than on the input. Getting binary search right under pressure, with correct boundary conditions, is a skill that requires deliberate practice.