Understanding the Problem
Imagine you have a messy list of numbers — like cards scattered on a table — and your goal is to sort them in increasing order. The problem we’re solving is: How can we sort an array efficiently?
One powerful way to do this is by using an algorithm called Merge Sort. It doesn't sort the whole thing in one go. Instead, it breaks the array into smaller parts, sorts those, and then puts them back together — all in the right order!
Our Strategy: Divide and Conquer
Merge Sort uses a classic strategy called Divide and Conquer. That means:
- First, divide the array into halves.
- Then, recursively sort each half.
- Finally, merge the sorted halves into a single sorted array.
Step-by-Step Example
Let’s go through a clear example to see how Merge Sort works in action.
Input: [4, 2, 7, 1]
Step 1: Divide the array into two halves → [4, 2]
and [7, 1]
Step 2: Break those down further → [4]
, [2]
, [7]
, [1]
Now we have individual elements, and by definition, each single-element array is already sorted.
Step 3: Merge them back in sorted order:
[4]
and [2]
→ merge into [2, 4]
[7]
and [1]
→ merge into [1, 7]
Step 4: Merge [2, 4]
and [1, 7]
→ final result: [1, 2, 4, 7]
Exploring Different Edge Cases
Case 1: Already Sorted Array
[1, 2, 3, 4]
is already sorted. Merge Sort will still divide and merge, but it won’t need to do much actual rearranging.
Case 2: All Elements Are the Same
Input: [5, 5, 5, 5]
→ Output: [5, 5, 5, 5]
Merge Sort keeps the original order, which is known as stability.
Case 3: Single Element
Input: [10]
→ Already sorted, nothing to do.
Case 4: Empty Array
Input: []
→ No elements to sort, so the output is also []
.
Case 5: Negative Numbers
Merge Sort handles all numbers just fine, even if they’re negative.
Example: [5, -2, 0]
→ [-2, 0, 5]
Why Merge Sort Is a Great Choice
Merge Sort always takes O(n log n)
time — even in the worst case — which is very efficient for large datasets. Plus, because it's a stable sort, it's perfect when the relative order of equal elements matters (like sorting records by multiple criteria).
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