Merge sort (Edexcel GCSE Computer Science): Flashcards
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Practise the cards
14 cards from this deck
Approach used by merge sort
Approach used by merge sort
Divide and conquer
Key principle of merge sort
Key principle of merge sort
Easier to sort small groups then combine them
Number of steps in merge sort
Number of steps in merge sort
4 steps
Merge sort Step 1
Merge sort Step 1
Divide list into halves until single items
Division stops when each list has...
Division stops when each list has...
Single item
Merge sort Step 2
Merge sort Step 2
Compare and merge pairs in ascending order
Merge sort Step 3
Merge sort Step 3
Merge pairs of sorted lists by comparing first items
Merge sort Step 4
Merge sort Step 4
Final merge to create completely sorted list
Merge sort vs bubble sort for large data
Merge sort vs bubble sort for large data
Merge sort is far more efficient
Performance characteristic of merge sort
Performance characteristic of merge sort
Consistently performs well regardless of data arrangement
Individual items in merge sort are...
Individual items in merge sort are...
Always considered sorted
Comparisons occur during...
Comparisons occur during...
Merging process, not dividing
Why merge sort is efficient for large datasets
Why merge sort is efficient for large datasets
Reduces number of comparisons needed
Real-world scale for merge sort use
Real-world scale for merge sort use
Thousands or millions of items