Introduction to Sorting Techniques – Data Structure and Algorithm Tutorials
Last Updated : 21 Oct, 2024
Sorting refers to rearrangement of a given array or list of elements according to a comparison operator on the elements. The comparison operator is used to decide the new order of elements in the respective data structure.
Why Sorting Algorithms are Important
The sorting algorithm is important in Computer Science because it reduces the complexity of a problem. There is a wide range of applications for these algorithms, including searching algorithms, database algorithms, divide and conquer methods, and data structure algorithms.
In the following sections, we list some important scientific applications where sorting algorithms are used
- When you have hundreds of datasets you want to print, you might want to arrange them in some way.
- Once we get the data sorted, we can get the k-th smallest and k-th largest item in O(1) time.
- Searching any element in a huge data set becomes easy. We can use Binary search method for search if we have sorted data. So, Sorting become important here.
- They can be used in software and in conceptual problems to solve more advanced problems.
Sorting Basics
- In-place Sorting: An in-place sorting algorithm uses constant space for producing the output (modifies the given array only. Examples: Selection Sort, Bubble Sort, Insertion Sort and Heap Sort.
- Internal Sorting: Internal Sorting is when all the data is placed in the main memory or internal memory. In internal sorting, the problem cannot take input beyond allocated memory size.
- External Sorting : External Sorting is when all the data that needs to be sorted need not to be placed in memory at a time, the sorting is called external sorting. External Sorting is used for the massive amount of data. For example Merge sort can be used in external sorting as the whole array does not have to be present all the time in memory,
- Stable sorting: When two same items appear in the same order in sorted data as in the original array called stable sort. Examples: Merge Sort, Insertion Sort, Bubble Sort.
- Hybrid Sorting: A sorting algorithm is called Hybrid if it uses more than one standard sorting algorithms to sort the array. The idea is to take advantages of multiple sorting algorithms. For example IntroSort uses Insertions sort and Quick Sort.
Types of Sorting Techniques
There are various sorting algorithms are used in data structures. The following two types of sorting algorithms can be broadly classified:
- Comparison-based: We compare the elements in a comparison-based sorting algorithm)
- Non-comparison-based: We do not compare the elements in a non-comparison-based sorting algorithm)
Sorting algorithmSome of the most common sorting algorithms are:
Selection sort, Bubble sort, Insertion Sort, Cycle Sort, Merge Sort, 3-way Merge Sort, Quick sort, Heap sort and Counting sort
Some other Sorting algorithms:
Radix sort, Bucket sort, Shell sort, Tim Sort, Comb Sort, Pigeonhole sorting, Cocktail Sort, Strand sort, Bitonic Sort, Stooge Sort, Tag Sort, Tree sort, Cartesian Sort, Odd-Even Sort / Brick Sort, Gnome sort, Cocktail shaker sort
Comparison of Complexity Analysis of Sorting Algorithms:
Similar Reads
Sorting Algorithms A Sorting Algorithm is used to rearrange a given array or list of elements in an order. For example, a given array [10, 20, 5, 2] becomes [2, 5, 10, 20] after sorting in increasing order and becomes [20, 10, 5, 2] after sorting in decreasing order. There exist different sorting algorithms for differ
3 min read
Introduction to Sorting Techniques – Data Structure and Algorithm Tutorials Sorting refers to rearrangement of a given array or list of elements according to a comparison operator on the elements. The comparison operator is used to decide the new order of elements in the respective data structure. Why Sorting Algorithms are ImportantThe sorting algorithm is important in Com
3 min read
Most Common Sorting Algorithms
Selection Sort Selection Sort is a comparison-based sorting algorithm. It sorts an array by repeatedly selecting the smallest (or largest) element from the unsorted portion and swapping it with the first unsorted element. This process continues until the entire array is sorted.First we find the smallest element an
8 min read
Bubble Sort Algorithm Bubble Sort is the simplest sorting algorithm that works by repeatedly swapping the adjacent elements if they are in the wrong order. This algorithm is not suitable for large data sets as its average and worst-case time complexity are quite high.We sort the array using multiple passes. After the fir
8 min read
Insertion Sort Algorithm Insertion sort is a simple sorting algorithm that works by iteratively inserting each element of an unsorted list into its correct position in a sorted portion of the list. It is like sorting playing cards in your hands. You split the cards into two groups: the sorted cards and the unsorted cards. T
9 min read
Merge Sort - Data Structure and Algorithms Tutorials Merge sort is a popular sorting algorithm known for its efficiency and stability. It follows the divide-and-conquer approach. It works by recursively dividing the input array into two halves, recursively sorting the two halves and finally merging them back together to obtain the sorted array. Merge
14 min read
Quick Sort QuickSort is a sorting algorithm based on the Divide and Conquer that picks an element as a pivot and partitions the given array around the picked pivot by placing the pivot in its correct position in the sorted array. It works on the principle of divide and conquer, breaking down the problem into s
12 min read
Heap Sort - Data Structures and Algorithms Tutorials Heap sort is a comparison-based sorting technique based on Binary Heap Data Structure. It can be seen as an optimization over selection sort where we first find the max (or min) element and swap it with the last (or first). We repeat the same process for the remaining elements. In Heap Sort, we use
14 min read
Counting Sort - Data Structures and Algorithms Tutorials Counting Sort is a non-comparison-based sorting algorithm. It is particularly efficient when the range of input values is small compared to the number of elements to be sorted. The basic idea behind Counting Sort is to count the frequency of each distinct element in the input array and use that info
9 min read