(Algorithm) Sorting Algorithms in C

Algorithm : Sorting Algorithms in C

Sorting in general refers to various methods of arranging or ordering things based on criterias (numerical, chronological, alphabetical, heirarchial etc.). In Computer Science, due to obvious reasons, Sorting (of data) is of immense importance and is one of the most extensively researched subjects. It is one of the most fundamental algorithmic problems. So much so that it is also fundmental to many other fundamental algorithmic problems such as search algorithms, merge algorithms etc. It is estimated that around 25% of all CPU cycles are used to sort data. There are many approaches to sorting data and each has its own merits and demerits. This article discusses some of the common sorting algorithms.

Bubble Sort
Bubble Sort is probably one of the oldest, most easiest, straight-forward, inefficient sorting algorithms. It is the algorithm introduced as a sorting routine in most introductory courses on Algorithms. Bubble Sort works by comparing each element of the list with the element next to it and swapping them if required. With each pass, the largest of the list is "bubbled" to the end of the list whereas the smaller values sink to the bottom. It is similar to selection sort although not as straight forward. Instead of "selecting" maximum values, they are bubbled to a part of the list. An implementation in C.

void BubbleSort(int a[], int array_size)
{
     int i, j, temp;
     for (i = 0; i < (array_size - 1); ++i)
     {
          for (j = 0; j < array_size - 1 - i; ++j )
          {
               if (a[j] > a[j+1])
               {
                    temp = a[j+1];
                    a[j+1] = a[j];
                    a[j] = temp;
               }
          }
     }
}

[Read More..]

Courtesy:- Blog.codebeach.com