merge sort

merge sort

1. the merge sort handles large lists, it does this by breaking them into multiple smaller lists, quickly sorting them,and then merging them back together into one larger lists

2. if there is only one item in the list then stop

   • divide the list in two parts
     • recursively didvde these lists until the size of each becames one
       • recrusively merge the lists with the items in the correct numerical order

3. advantages

   • its the fastes out of the the three types of sort
     • its the best option for long lists of data

4. disadvantages

   • more complicated to code compared to bubble and insert
     • it may use twice the memory size of the list - depending on the way its coded . this becomes important if the list is millions items long