Merge Sort

• What does a merge sort do?

  It splits the list apart the merges it back together
• What 2 facts does the merge sort take advantage of?

  It is easier to merge two unordered lists then two ordered lists. And small lists are easier to sort than large lists
• What type of algorithm is the merge sort an example of?

  divide and conquer algorithm
• True or false : You will often be able to split or merge lists evenly?

  False
• One positive of the merge sort is that it is more efficient. Describe how?

  It is quicker than the bubble sort and insertion sort algorithms for large lists
• A positive of the merge sort its time. Describe how?

  It has a very consistent running time (Regardless of how ordered the items in the list are)
• A negative of the Merge sort is how it deals with small lists. Explain how?

  It is slower than other algorithms for small lists
• A negative of the merge sort is how it goes about sorting lists. Explain how?

  Even if the list is already sorted , it still will split the list then merge it back together
• A negative of the merge sort is that it uses more memory than the other sorting algorithms. Why does it do this ?


  To create the seperate lists
• Due to being efficient, the merge sort is used in many programming languages. Give 3 examples of this?

  Java , Python and Perl