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Vs (Quick & Merge & Heap Sort)

Description

Although the average time complexity of quick sort is the same as that of "merge sort" and "heap sort," it is generally more efficient for the following reasons.

  • Low probability of worst-case scenarios: Although the worst time complexity of quick sort is \(O(n^2)\), less stable than merge sort, in most cases, quick sort can operate under a time complexity of \(O(n \log n)\).
  • High cache utilization: During the pivot partitioning operation, the system can load the entire sub-array into the cache, thus accessing elements more efficiently. In contrast, algorithms like "heap sort" need to access elements in a jumping manner, lacking this feature.
  • Small constant coefficient of complexity: Among the three algorithms mentioned above, quick sort has the least total number of operations such as comparisons, assignments, and swaps. This is similar to why "insertion sort" is faster than "bubble sort."