In the algorithm, the list to be sorted is divided into two halves, each of which is then sorted recursively.

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 a type of divide and conquer algorithm, meaning that it solves a problem by breaking it down into smaller sub-problems. This approach is also used by other algorithms such as sort.

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.

In Merge Sort, the divide and conquer technique is used to recursively split the array into two halves until only one element remains in each half, then the two halves are for final sorted output.

Merge Sort has a worst-case time complexity of O(n*log(n)), which is more efficient than many other sorting algorithms such as sort.

The merge sort algorithm is also an example of the -conquer algorithm paradigm.