A smart grid controller uses a linear search to locate a specific household's smart meter ID in an unsorted database of 25,000 connected devices.
The computational efficiency of this search can be significantly improved by preprocessing the database of meter IDs.
State one type of preprocessing that can be performed on this database, and explain how the search algorithm could be changed to find a specific smart meter ID more efficiently using this preprocessed data.
159 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE Computer Science Algorithms, covering Constructs for solving problems, Variables, constants and data structures, Arithmetic, relational and logical operators, Tracing algorithm output with trace tables, Types of error and correcting logic errors, Standard algorithms (sorts and searches), and Evaluating algorithm fitness and efficiency. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.