Friday, October 29, 2004

Sort Algorithms

[Bubble Sort] The bubble sort is the oldest and simplest sort in use. Unfortunately, it's also the slowest.

The bubble sort works by comparing each item in the list with the item next to it, and swapping them if required. The algorithm repeats this process until it makes a pass all the way through the list without swapping any items (in other words, all items are in the correct order). This causes larger values to "bubble" to the end of the list while smaller values "sink" towards the beginning of the list.

The bubble sort is generally considered to be the most inefficient sorting algorithm in common usage. Under best-case conditions (the list is already sorted), the bubble sort can approach a constant O(n) level of complexity. General-case is an abysmal O(n^2).

While the insertion, selection, and shell sorts also have O(n^2) complexities, they are significantly more efficient than the bubble sort.

Pros: Simplicity and ease of implementation.

Cons: Horribly inefficient.

[Heap Sort] The heap sort is the slowest of the O(n log n) sorting algorithms, but unlike the merge and quick sorts it doesn't require massive recursion or multiple arrays to work. This makes it the most attractive option for very large data sets of millions of items.

The heap sort works as it name suggests - it begins by building a heap out of the data set, and then removing the largest item and placing it at the end of the sorted array. After removing the largest item, it reconstructs the heap and removes the largest remaining item and places it in the next open position from the end of the sorted array. This is repeated until there are no items left in the heap and the sorted array is full. Elementary implementations require two arrays - one to hold the heap and the other to hold the sorted elements.

To do an in-place sort and save the space the second array would require, the algorithm below "cheats" by using the same array to store both the heap and the sorted array. Whenever an item is removed from the heap, it frees up a space at the end of the array that the removed item can be placed in.

Pros: In-place and non-recursive, making it a good choice for extremely large data sets.

Cons: Slower than the merge and quick sorts.

[Insertion Sort] The insertion sort works just like its name suggests - it inserts each item into its proper place in the final list. The simplest implementation of this requires two list structures - the source list and the list into which sorted items are inserted. To save memory, most implementations use an in-place sort that works by moving the current item past the already sorted items and repeatedly swapping it with the preceding item until it is in place.

Like the bubble sort, the insertion sort has a complexity of O(n2). Although it has the same complexity, the insertion sort is a little over twice as efficient as the bubble sort.

Pros: Relatively simple and easy to implement.

Cons: Inefficient for large lists.

[Merge Sort] The merge sort splits the list to be sorted into two equal halves, and places them in separate arrays. Each array is recursively sorted, and then merged back together to form the final sorted list. Like most recursive sorts, the merge sort has an algorithmic complexity of O(n log n).

Elementary implementations of the merge sort make use of three arrays - one for each half of the data set and one to store the sorted list in. The below algorithm merges the arrays in-place, so only two arrays are required. There are non-recursive versions of the merge sort, but they don't yield any significant performance enhancement over the recursive algorithm on most machines.

Pros: Marginally faster than the heap sort for larger sets.

Cons: At least twice the memory requirements of the other sorts; recursive.

The merge sort is slightly faster than the heap sort for larger sets, but it requires twice the memory of the heap sort because of the second array. This additional memory requirement makes it unattractive for most purposes - the quick sort is a better choice most of the time and the heap sort is a better choice for very large sets.

Like the quick sort, the merge sort is recursive which can make it a bad choice for applications that run on machines with limited memory.

[Quick Sort] The quick sort is an in-place, divide-and-conquer, massively recursive sort. As a normal person would say, it's essentially a faster in-place version of the merge sort. The quick sort algorithm is simple in theory, but very difficult to put into code (computer scientists tied themselves into knots for years trying to write a practical implementation of the algorithm, and it still has that effect on university students).

The recursive algorithm consists of four steps (which closely resemble the merge sort):

1. If there are one or less elements in the array to be sorted, return immediately.

2. Pick an element in the array to serve as a "pivot" point. (Usually the left-most element in the array is used.)

3. Split the array into two parts - one with elements larger than the pivot and the other with elements smaller than the pivot.

4. Recursively repeat the algorithm for both halves of the original array.

The efficiency of the algorithm is majorly impacted by which element is choosen as the pivot point. The worst-case efficiency of the quick sort, O(n2), occurs when the list is sorted and the left-most element is chosen. Randomly choosing a pivot point rather than using the left-most element is recommended if the data to be sorted isn't random. As long as the pivot point is chosen randomly, the quick sort has an algorithmic complexity of O(n log n).

Pros: Extremely fast.

Cons: Very complex algorithm, massively recursive.

[Select Sort]The selection sort works by selecting the smallest unsorted item remaining in the list, and then swapping it with the item in the next position to be filled. The selection sort has a complexity of O(n2).

Pros: Simple and easy to implement.

Cons: Inefficient for large lists, so similar to the more efficient insertion sort that the insertion sort should be used in its place.

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