What is heap sort?

Heap sort is a sorting algorithm that works by building a heap, which is a special kind of binary tree. A heap is a complete binary tree, which means that all levels of the tree, except the last one, are completely filled. In a max heap, the value of each node is greater than or equal to the values of its children.

To sort an array using heap sort, we first build a max heap from the array. Then, we repeatedly remove the maximum element from the heap and insert it into the sorted array. This process is repeated until the heap is empty.

How does heap sort work?

The following is a step-by-step explanation of how heap sort works:

Create an array of elements to be sorted.

Build a max heap from the array.

Repeatedly remove the maximum element from the heap and insert it into the sorted array.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the heap is empty.

The following is an illustration of how heap sort works:

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Initial array: [10, 5, 2, 7, 3, 1, 9, 6, 8]

Step 1: Build a max heap from the array.

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Max heap: [10, 7, 9, 5, 3, 1, 6, 8, 2]

Step 2: Remove the maximum element (10) from the heap and insert it into the sorted array.

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Sorted array: [1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

Step 3: Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the heap is empty.

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Code snippet

Sorted array: [1, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]

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Advantages of heap sort

Heap sort is a very efficient sorting algorithm. It has a time complexity of O(n log n), which means that it takes time proportional to the logarithm of the number of elements to be sorted.

Heap sort is also a stable sorting algorithm. This means that the relative order of equal elements in the array is preserved after sorting.

Heap sort is a in-place sorting algorithm. This means that it does not require any extra memory space to sort the array.

Disadvantages of heap sort

Heap sort is not as efficient as some other sorting algorithms, such as quicksort or merge sort, for small arrays.

Heap sort is also not as robust as some other sorting algorithms. This means that it is more susceptible to errors in the input data.

Summary

Heap sort is a very efficient sorting algorithm that is easy to understand and implement. It is a good choice for sorting large arrays, but it may not be the best choice for sorting small array