Algorithms

Algorithms

1. Binary Search

   • Works effectively with data that is already sorted
     • E.g. in alphabetical or numerical order
   • This repeatedly divides in half the portion of the list that could contain the required item
     • This is continued until there is only one item in the list

2. Bubble Sort

   • This sorts the data before the searching takes place
   • It repeatedly goes through the list to be sorted, comparing each pair of adjacent elements
     • Each time an item is larger than the next one, they change places
   • So the highest number 'bubbles' up to the end of the list
     • After a certain number of passes through the list the list is sorted.

3. Linear Search

   • This looks through every item in a list until it finds the item it is looking for
   • Works effectively with unsorted data

4. Merge Sort

   • This is a two stage sort
   • In the first stage, the list is successively divided in half, forming two sublists, until each sublist is of length one.
   • In the second stage, each pair of sublists is repeatedly merged to produce new sorted sublists until there is only one sublist remaining
     • This is the sorted list