Sparse Matrix Get Item Function in C - Efficient Element Retrieval

"int getitem(SparseMatrix* matrix,int Row,int Col)\n{\n\tfor (int i = 0; i < matrix->numElements; i++) {\t\n\t Element element = matrix->data[i];\n\t if(element.col == Col && element.row == Row) return element.value;\n }\n return 0;\n}\n}This code snippet presents a C function designed to retrieve the value of an element at a specified row (Row) and column (Col) within a sparse matrix represented by the pointer matrix. The function employs a loop that iterates through all the non-zero elements stored in the matrix's data array. Within the loop, the current element is assigned to a temporary element variable. The code then checks if the element's column (element.col) and row (element.row) match the provided Row and Col. If a match is found, the corresponding value (element.value) is returned. If the loop completes without encountering a matching element, the function returns 0, indicating that the element was not found. The time complexity of this function is O(n), where n represents the number of non-zero elements in the sparse matrix. Since sparse matrices are characterized by having a relatively small number of non-zero elements, the function typically exhibits a low time complexity, making it efficient for retrieving values within these data structures.