Sorting algorithm

A procedure that rearranges elements into a specified order, such as ascending numerical or alphabetical order. Sorting algorithms differ in their time, memory, and stability properties.

Comparison sort: A sorting algorithm that determines order only by comparing pairs of elements. This broad family includes many methods that establish order through element-to-element comparisons.
Stable sort: A sorting method that preserves the relative order of elements with equal keys. Stability determines whether equal-key records retain their earlier arrangement.
Radix sort: A sorting algorithm that orders keys by processing their digits or character positions in sequence. It can sort structured keys without relying on pairwise comparisons.
External sorting: A sorting technique for datasets too large to fit in main memory, using external storage during processing. Large files require algorithms organized around costly disk reads and writes.
John von Neumann: A mathematician and computer scientist whose work shaped modern computing and mathematical physics. He developed an early merge-sorting method for data stored on tape.
Quicksort: A sorting algorithm that partitions elements around a pivot and recursively sorts the resulting subarrays. Its partitioning strategy shows how divide-and-conquer can sort in place.
In-place algorithm: An algorithm that uses only a small, fixed amount of extra storage beyond its input. Extra-space requirements distinguish methods that rearrange the input directly.
Bucket sort: A sorting algorithm that distributes elements among buckets, sorts the buckets, and concatenates them. Its distribution strategy can outperform comparison methods for suitably distributed data.
Timsort: A stable sorting algorithm that detects existing ordered runs and merges them efficiently. It exploits naturally occurring order in data used by practical programming languages.
ENIAC: An early general-purpose electronic digital computer completed in the United States in 1945. Its wartime computing work included machine sorting tasks.

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