A merge sort algorithm is an algorithm that divides the unsorted list into sublists, each containing one element, and then repeatedly merges sublists to produce larger sorted sublists.
The merge subroutine in Merge Sort is responsible for combining two sorted arrays into a single sorted array. This process is also known as .
Merge Sort is particularly useful for sorting linked lists, as it does not rely on random access to elements in the list. Instead, it uses a -like approach to merging the sub-lists.
Merge Sort was invented by John von Neumann in 1945, although it was later independently developed by several other computer scientists. It is an example of a -based sorting algorithm.