Linear search, also known as sequential search, is a method for finding an element within a list. It sequentially checks each element of the list for the target value until a match is found or until all the elements have been searched. It is the simplest search algorithm and does not require the list to be sorted.

A. Binary search requires a sorted list and works by repeatedly dividing the search interval in half, not by checking one by one.

B. Hash search uses a hash function to directly compute an index to the item, which is much faster than a sequential check.

D. Depth-first search is a traversal algorithm for tree or graph data structures, not a sequential search on a linear list.

1. Cormen, T. H., Leiserson, C. E., Rivest, R. L., & Stein, C. (2009). Introduction to Algorithms (3rd ed.). MIT Press. (Chapter 2, Section 2.1, describes insertion sort, which uses a linear search-like process for finding the position).

2. MIT OpenCourseWare. (2011). 6.006 Introduction to Algorithms, Fall 2011. Lecture 1: Algorithmic Thinking, Peak Finding. (Linear search is discussed as the straightforward O(n) approach).

3. Knuth, D. E. (1998). The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 3: Sorting and Searching (2nd ed.). Addison-Wesley. (Section 6.1: Sequential Searching).