How does the merge sort algorithm typically operate?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for an explanation of how the merge sort algorithm works, along with identifying the correct statements about its operation.
Answer
Divide list into single elements, then merge into sorted list.
Merge sort uses the divide-and-conquer strategy. First, it divides the list into sublists until each contains one element. Then, it merges these sublists to produce a sorted list.
Answer for screen readers
Merge sort uses the divide-and-conquer strategy. First, it divides the list into sublists until each contains one element. Then, it merges these sublists to produce a sorted list.
More Information
Merge sort is popular for its efficiency with a time complexity of O(n log n), making it suitable for large data sets.
Tips
A common mistake is not properly merging the sublists, which can result in sorting errors or incomplete sorting.
Sources
- Merge Sort - Data Structure and Algorithms Tutorials - GeeksforGeeks - geeksforgeeks.org
- Merge Sort Explained: A Data Scientist's Algorithm Guide - NVIDIA Developer Blog - developer.nvidia.com
