Hey what language is this?? ---- I've translated Don & Tom's Smalltalk solution (CommentingChallengeTwo) into Java (as best I can, as someone who doesn't actually know Smalltalk), in case anyone wants to fuss with it: public class BinarySearch { int target; int[] array; int lowIndex, highIndex, middleOfRange; public static int indexOf(int target, int[] anArray) { return new BinarySearch(target, anArray).index(); } public BinarySearch(int targetInteger, int[] anArray) { target = targetInteger; array = anArray; lowIndex = 0; highIndex = anArray.length - 1; } public int index() { if (doesNotIncludeTarget()) return -1; if (isTargetAtMiddleOfRange()) return middleOfRange; adjustRange(); return index(); } private boolean isTargetAtMiddleOfRange() { middleOfRange = (lowIndex + highIndex) / 2; return array[middleOfRange] == target; } private void adjustRange() { if (target < array[middleOfRange]) highIndex = middleOfRange - 1; else lowIndex = middleOfRange + 1; } private boolean doesNotIncludeTarget() { return lowIndex > highIndex; } } ---- This version throws an exception instead of returning -1. It also has a test for inclusion so you can avoid the exception. You could use InlineMethod to make it shorter. Otherwise I think it just says what it means. public class BinarySearch { int target; int[] array; int firstInSearchRange; int lastInSearchRange; int middleOfSearchRange; public static int findIndexOf(int target, int[] aSortedArray) { return new BinarySearch(target, aSortedArray).indexOfTarget(); } public BinarySearch(int targetInteger, int[] anArray) { array = anArray; target = targetInteger; setSearchRange( 0, anArray.length - 1 ); } public int indexOfTarget() { if (targetIsInArray()) return searchIndex(); else return notFoundError(); } public boolean targetIsInArray() { searchForTarget(); return targetHasBeenFound(); } private void searchForTarget() { while (!searchIsFinished()) { if (targetIsBeforeMiddle()) searchFirstHalf(); else searchLastHalf(); } } private boolean searchIsFinished() { return targetHasBeenFound() || searchRangeIsEmpty(); } private boolean targetHasBeenFound() { return target == array[searchIndex()]; } private int searchIndex() { return middleOfSearchRange; } private int notFoundError() { throw new RuntimeException( "target " + target + " not found in BinarySearch"); } private boolean searchRangeIsEmpty() { return lastInSearchRange < firstInSearchRange; } private boolean targetIsBeforeMiddle() { return target < array[middleOfSearchRange]; } private void searchFirstHalf() { setSearchRange(firstInSearchRange, middleOfSearchRange-1); } private void searchLastHalf() { setSearchRange(middleOfSearchRange+1, lastInSearchRange); } private void setSearchRange( int newFirst, int newLast) { firstInSearchRange = newFirst; lastInSearchRange = newLast; middleOfSearchRange = (firstInSearchRange + lastInSearchRange) / 2; } } BinarySearchInJavaTest has some JavaUnit tests for this code. -- PhilGoodwin ---- Or you could simply use the java.util.Arrays.binarySearch() method (available since JDK 1.2). -- BrandonTaylor ''I think you have to read CommentingChallengeTwo to understand why this code is here.'' ---- CategoryJava