Merge Sort is a popular sorting algorithm that follows the approach. The algorithm works by breaking down the list into smaller and sorting them individually. These sorted sub-lists are then merged back together to obtain the final sorted list. Merge sort has a time complexity of and a space complexity of .
The steps of Merge Sort include first dividing the unsorted list into smaller sub-lists until each sub-list contains only one . Next, adjacent sub-lists are repeatedly to produce new sorted sub-lists until there is only one sub-list remaining. The final sorted list is obtained when all sub-lists are merged together.
One of the main advantages of Merge Sort is that it guarantees a sort, which means that the order of equal elements is preserved. Additionally, it performs well on large lists due to its of O(n log n). However, Merge Sort has its disadvantages; it is not an sorting algorithm, meaning it requires extra storage proportional to the size of the input list. Furthermore, since it is usually implemented using , it can be difficult for beginner programmers to understand and implement.
Keywords
in-place | stable | time complexity | sub-lists | merged | element | recursion | o(n) | o(n log n) | divide and conquer |
