Welcome to this concise guide on Merge Sort, an efficient algorithm used for sorting arrays or lists. Whether you're new to programming or have been coding for a while, this tutorial will help you understand how Merge Sort works and implement it in Python. What is Merge Sort? Merge Sort is a classic divide-and-conquer algorithm that sorts a list by dividing it into smaller sublists, sorting those, and then merging them back together. It's particularly efficient with large datasets due to its consistent performance across different types of data. Key Characteristics: Divide and Conquer: The list is divided into halves until each sublist contains only one element. Merge Process: Sublists are merged in a sorted manner, resulting in a fully sorted list. Python Implementation Below is the implementation of Merge Sort in Python. Each step is well-commented to help you follow along: def merge_sort(arr): # Base case: if the array has 0 or 1 element, it's already sor...
Welcome to this concise guide where we'll explore the Selection Sort algorithm, one of the simplest sorting algorithms you can implement in Python. Whether you're just starting out or looking to brush up on your skills, this post will help you understand how selection sort works, see it implemented in code, and grasp its time complexity. What is Selection Sort? Selection Sort is a straightforward comparison-based algorithm used for arranging elements of an array in a particular order (typically ascending). The key idea behind the algorithm is to repeatedly find the minimum element from the unsorted part of the list and move it to the beginning. This process continues, progressively reducing the portion of the array that needs sorting. Python Implementation Let's dive into the code: def selection_sort(arr): # Traverse through all array elements for i in range(len(arr)): # Find the minimum element in remaining unsorted array min_index = i ...