An automated sorting facility maintains an unsorted digital catalog of N N\,N parcels currently on a conveyor belt. A control system uses a standard linear search algorithm to find a specific tracking number in the catalog.
State the number of comparisons made in the best-case scenario, and identify the position of the target tracking number in the catalog that leads to this.
State the number of comparisons made in the worst-case scenario, and describe the possible outcomes regarding the target tracking number that lead to this.