Computer Science – Algorithm design and problem-solving | e-Consult
Algorithm design and problem-solving (1 questions)
Login to see all questions.
Click on a question to view the answer
Bubble Sort Explanation:
Bubble sort is a simple sorting algorithm that repeatedly steps through the list, compares adjacent elements and swaps them if they are in the wrong order. The largest element "bubbles" to the end of the list with each pass. This process is repeated for the remaining unsorted portion of the list.
Step-by-step Example (with [5, 1, 4, 2, 8]):
- Pass 1:
- Compare 5 and 1. Swap. List: [1, 5, 4, 2, 8]
- Compare 5 and 4. Swap. List: [1, 4, 5, 2, 8]
- Compare 5 and 2. Swap. List: [1, 4, 2, 5, 8]
- Compare 5 and 8. No swap. List: [1, 4, 2, 5, 8]
- Pass 2:
- Compare 1 and 4. No swap. List: [1, 4, 2, 5, 8]
- Compare 4 and 2. Swap. List: [1, 2, 4, 5, 8]
- Compare 4 and 5. No swap. List: [1, 2, 4, 5, 8]
- Pass 3:
- Compare 1 and 2. No swap. List: [1, 2, 4, 5, 8]
- Compare 2 and 4. No swap. List: [1, 2, 4, 5, 8]
- Pass 4:
- Compare 1 and 2. No swap. List: [1, 2, 4, 5, 8]
Worst-Case Time Complexity: The worst-case time complexity of bubble sort is O(n2), where 'n' is the number of elements in the list. This occurs when the list is in reverse order. The algorithm requires comparing and potentially swapping each element with every other element in the worst case.