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fix(binary_search): return first occurrence when duplicates exist#14684

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fix(binary_search): return first occurrence when duplicates exist#14684
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MD-Mushfiqur123:fix/binary-search-first-occurrence

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Describe your change:

  • Add an algorithm?
  • Fix a bug or typo in an existing algorithm?
  • Add or change doctests? -- Note: Please avoid changing both code and tests in a single pull request.
  • Documentation change?

Checklist:

  • I have read CONTRIBUTING.md.
  • This pull request is all my own work -- I have not plagiarized.
  • I know that pull requests will not be merged if they fail the automated tests.
  • This PR only changes one algorithm file. To ease review, please open separate PRs for separate algorithms.
  • All new Python files are placed inside an existing directory.
  • All filenames are in all lowercase characters with no spaces or dashes.
  • All functions and variable names follow Python naming conventions.
  • All function parameters and return values are annotated with Python type hints.
  • All functions have doctests that pass the automated testing.
  • All new algorithms include at least one URL that points to Wikipedia or another similar explanation.
  • If this pull request resolves one or more open issues then the description above includes the issue number(s) with a closing keyword: "Fixes #ISSUE-NUMBER".

When the binary_search function encounters a sorted list with duplicate values, it returns the first match found during the search (which depends on the midpoint calculation), rather than the first occurrence of the target value.

Fix

Instead of returning immediately when a match is found, continue searching to the left to find the first occurrence. The function now tracks the result with a result variable and continues narrowing the search window to the left after finding a match.

Testing

  • All 62 existing doctests pass
  • Added doctests for duplicate scenarios:
    • binary_search([1, 2, 2, 2, 3], 2) returns 1
    • binary_search([1, 1, 1, 2, 3], 1) returns 0

Fixes #13840

@algorithms-keeper algorithms-keeper Bot added enhancement This PR modified some existing files awaiting reviews This PR is ready to be reviewed labels May 16, 2026
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Incorrect output for Binary Search when list contains duplicates

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