Sorting

Sorting

Definition: Sorting is a technique for arranging data in particular order.

• Order of Sorting: Order means the arrangement of data. The sorting order can be ascending or descending. The ascending order means arranging the data in increasing order whereas descending order means arranging the data in decreasing order.

• Internal Sorting: This is a type of sorting technique in which data resides on main memory of computer.

 • External Sorting: This is a sorting technique in which there is a huge amount of data and it resides on secondary devices (For example Hard disk, Magnetic tape and so on) while sorting.

•Various techniques of internal sorting are

1. Insertion sort

2. Selection sort

3. Shell sort

4. Bubble sort

5. Quick sort

6. Merge sort

7. Radix sort

• Passes While sorting the elements in some specific order, there is lot of arrangement of elements. The phases in which the elements are moving to acquire their proper position is called passes.

Applications of Sorting

1. The sorting is useful in database applications for arranging the data in desired order.

2. In the dictionary like applications the data is arranged in sorted order.

3. For searching the element from the list of elements, the sorting is required.

4. For checking the uniqueness of the element the sorting is required.

5. For finding the closest pair from the list of elements the sorting is required.