Explain the linear search algorithm.

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Explain the linear search algorithm.

The linear search algorithm is a simple searching algorithm that sequentially checks each element in a list or array until the desired element is found or the end of the list is reached. It starts at the beginning of the list and compares each element with the target element. If a match is found, the algorithm returns the index of the element. If the target element is not found, the algorithm returns a special value (e.g., -1) to indicate that the element is not present in the list. The linear search algorithm has a time complexity of O(n), where n is the number of elements in the list.