Complexity of sorting algorithm

The complexity of sorting algorithm calculates the running time of a function in

which 'n' number of items are to be sorted. The choice for which sorting method
is suitable for a problem depends on several dependency configurations for
different problems. The most noteworthy of these considerations are:

The length of time spent by the programmer in programming a specific sorting

program
Amount of machine time necessary for running the program
The amount of memory necessary for running the program

Efficiency of sorting techniques

To get the amount of time required to sort an array of 'n' elements by a particular
method, the normal approach is to analyze the method to find the number of
comparisons (or exchanges) required by it. Most of the sorting techniques are
data sensitive, and so the metrics for them depends on the order in which they
appear in an input array.

Various sorting techniques are analyzed in various cases and named these cases
as follows:

Best case
Worst case
Average case
Hence, the result of these cases is often a formula giving the average time
required for a particular sort of size 'n.' Most of the sort methods have time
requirements that range from O(nlog n) to O(n2).
Types of Sorting Techniques

Bubble Sort
Selection Sort
Merge Sort
Insertion Sort
Quick Sort
Heap Sort

Bubble Sort
Bubble sort is a basic algorithm for arranging a string of numbers or other
elements in the correct order. The method works by examining each set of
adjacent elements in the string, from left to right, switching their positions if they
are out of order. The algorithm then repeats this process until it can run through
the entire string and find no two elements that need to be swapped.

What Does a Bubble Sort Look Like?

If a programmer or analyst wanted to arrange a series of numbers in ascending
order, the bubble sort approach would look like the example pictured here.

The algorithm would review two items at a time, rearrange those not already in
ascending order from left to right, and then continue to cycle through the entire
sequence until it completed a pass without switching any numbers.
Bubble Sort Example Diagram

How Do Computer Programmers Use Bubble Sort?

Computer programmers use bubble sort to arrange a sequence of numbers in the
correct order. Because it is the simplest type of sorting algorithm, bubble sort
does not get used much in real-world computer science. Its most common uses
for programmers include the following:

1. A way to learn basic sorting

Bubble sort works as a method for teaching new programmers how to sort data
sets because the algorithm is straightforward to understand and implement.

2. A methodology for sorting tiny datasets

Because it has to repeatedly cycle through the entire set of elements, comparing
only two adjacent items at a time, bubble sort is not optimal for more massive
datasets. But it can work well when sorting only a small number of elements.

3. A sorting methodology for datasets that are mostly in order already

Finally, some computer scientists and data analysts use the algorithm as a final
check for datasets they believe are already in nearly sorted order.

How Can Product Managers Use Bubble Sort?

One of the product manager’s most essential and difficult responsibilities is to
weigh competing initiatives and decide where to focus the team’s limited time
and resources.

For example, product teams weigh the costs vs. benefits of backlog items to
decide which items will earn a spot on the product roadmap. They also assign
story points to each backlog item to determine the amount of effort and time that
the item will take to complete.

For all of these types of scoring initiatives, product managers must then apply a
sorting approach to determine how to prioritize their team’s work. For this type
of sorting, a simple bubble sort method makes sense.

What Is Selection Sort Algorithm

The selection sort algorithm is a simple, yet effective sorting algorithm. A
selection-based sorting algorithm is described as an in-place comparison-based
algorithm that divides the list into two parts, the sorted part on the left and the
unsorted part on the right. Initially, the sorted section is empty, and the unsorted
section contains the entire list. When sorting a small list, selection sort can be
used.

In the selection sort, the cost of swapping is irrelevant, and all elements must be
checked. The cost of writing to memory matters in selection sort, just as it does in
flash memory (the number of writes/swaps is O(n) as opposed to O(n2) in bubble
sort).
What Is a Selection Sort Algorithm?
Selection sort is an effective and efficient sort algorithm based on comparison
operations.
It adds one element in each iteration.
You need to select the smallest element in the array and move it to the beginning
of the array by swapping with the front element.
You can also accomplish this by selecting the most potent element and
positioning it at the back end.
In each iteration, selection sort selects an element and places it in the appropriate
position.
How Does the Selection Sort Algorithm Work?
Selection sort works by taking the smallest element in an unsorted array and
bringing it to the front. You’ll go through each item (from left to right) until you
find the smallest one. The first item in the array is now sorted, while the rest of
the array is unsorted.
 As an example, consider the array depicted below.

 The entire list is scanned sequentially for the first position in the sorted list.
You search the whole list and find that 10 is the lowest value in the first
position, where 15 is stored.

 As a result, you replaced 15 with 10. After one iteration, the number 10,
which happens to be the lowest value on the list, appears at the top of the
sorted list.

 You must begin by scanning the rest of the list linearly for the second
position, where 30 is located.
  You discovered that 15 is the second lowest value on the list and should be
placed second. You must switch these values.

 After two iterations, the two least values are positioned at the beginning in
a sorted manner.

The same procedure is followed for the remaining array items.

The following is a visual representation of the entire sorting process.
Moving forward in this tutorial, you will see an algorithm and its pseudocode after
understanding the working procedure of a selection sort algorithm.

You will now look at the performance of the selection sort algorithm in this
tutorial.
The Complexity of Selection Sort Algorithm
The time complexity of the selection sort algorithm is:
 The selection sort algorithm is made up of two nested loops.
 It has an O (n2) time complexity due to the two nested loops.
Best Case Complexity occurs when there is no need for sorting, i.e., the array has
already been sorted. The time complexity of selection sort in the best-case
scenario is O. (n2).
Average Case Complexity occurs when the array elements are arranged in a
jumbled order that is neither ascending nor descending correctly. The selection
sort has an average case time complexity of O. (n2).
Worst-case complexity - Worst case occurs when array elements must be sorted
in reverse order. Assume you need to sort the array elements in ascending order,
but they are in descending order. Selection sort has a worst-case time complexity
of O. (n2).
The space complexity of the selection sort algorithm is:
 An in-place algorithm is a selection sort algorithm.
 It performs all computations in the original array and does not use any
other arrays.
 As a result, the space complexity is O. (1).
You will now look at some applications of the selection sort algorithm in this
tutorial.
Applications of Selection Sort Algorithm
The following are some applications of how to use selection sort:
 Selection sort consistently outperforms bubble and gnome sort.
 When memory writing is a costly operation, this can be useful.
 In terms of the number of writes ((n) swaps versus O(n2) swaps), selection
sort is preferable to insertion sort.
 It almost always far outnumbers the number of writes made by cycle sort,
even though cycle sort is theoretically optimal in terms of the number of
writes.
 This is important if writes are significantly more expensive than reads, as
with EEPROM or Flash memory, where each write reduces the memory's
Algorithm of the Selection Sort Algorithm
The selection sort algorithm is as follows:

Step 1: Set Min to location 0 in Step 1.

Step 2: Look for the smallest element on the list.

Step 3: Replace the value at location Min with a different value.

Step 4: Increase Min to point to the next element

Step 5: Continue until the list is sorted.

What is Merge Sort?

Merge Sort in C++ is a popular sorting algorithm that divides the input array into
smaller subarrays, recursively sorts them, and then merges them to produce a
sorted output in ascending or descending order.
How does Merge Sort work?
Let’s understand how Merge Sort works with a simple example:

Consider an unsorted array: [38, 27, 43, 3, 9, 82, 10]

Step 1: Divide

The array is divided into two halves: [38, 27, 43] and [3, 9, 82, 10]
Step 2: Conquer

Each individual subarray is sorted:

[38, 27, 43] -> [27, 38, 43]
[3, 9, 82, 10] -> [3, 9, 10, 82]
Step 3: Merge
The sorted subarrays are merged: [27, 38, 43] and [3, 9, 10, 82] are merged into
[3, 9, 10, 27, 38, 43, 82]
Step 4: Repeat

The process is repeated recursively for the merged array until the entire array is
sorted.
The final sorted array is [3, 9, 10, 27, 38, 43, 82].

Time Complexity Analysis:

Time Complexity: O(n log n)
The time complexity of Merge Sort is O(n log n) for all cases. It divides the array
into halves recursively and merges them, and the merging process takes O(n).

Space Complexity: O(n)

The space complexity is O(n) as it requires additional memory to store the
temporary array during merging.
Advantages of Merge Sort
Stable sorting algorithm, maintains the relative order of equal elements.
Efficient for large datasets with a time complexity of O(n log n).
Predictable performance, consistently performs well regardless of input data.
No worst-case scenarios, guarantees reliable sorting performance.
Memory-efficient, doesn’t require additional memory space for sorting.
Disadvantages of Merge Sort
Merge sort uses more memory to sort data.
It doesn’t sort data in the same memory location (not in-place).
It may not be the best choice for small lists.