QuickSort Algorithm

Sorting algorithms are a fundamental aspect of computer science, used in various applications ranging from data organization to optimizing search algorithms. One of the most efficient sorting algorithms is QuickSort. In this post, we will explore the QuickSort algorithm in detail, understand how it works, and comparing it to Merge Sort (the focus of my last post about sorting algorithms).

Algorithm Explanation

QuickSort is a divide-and-conquer algorithm that works by selecting a ‘pivot’ element from the array and partitioning the other elements into two sub-arrays, according to whether they are less than or greater than the pivot. The sub-arrays are then sorted recursively.

Here’s a step-by-step explanation of the QuickSort algorithm:

1. Choose a Pivot: Select an element from the array as the pivot. This can be any element, but common strategies include choosing the first element, the last element, or a random element.
2. Partitioning: Rearrange the elements in the array so that all elements less than the pivot are on its left, and all elements greater than the pivot are on its right.
3. Recursively Apply: Apply the above steps recursively to the sub-array of elements with smaller values and the sub-array of elements with larger values.

QuickSort Pseudocode

Here is the pseudocode for the QuickSort algorithm:

function QuickSort(A, low, high)
  if low < high
    pivotIndex <- Partition(A, low, high)
    QuickSort(A, low, pivotIndex - 1)
    QuickSort(A, pivotIndex + 1, high)
  return A

function Partition(A, low, high)
  pivot <- A[high]
  i <- low - 1
  for j <- low to high - 1
      if A[j] < pivot
          i <- i + 1
          swap A[i] with A[j]
  swap A[i + 1] with A[high]
  return i + 1

In the pseudocode above, A is the array to be sorted, low is the starting index, and high is the ending index of the array. To call the function, you normally use:

QuickSort(A, 0, A.length - 1)

Complexity Analysis

The time complexity of QuickSort depends on the pivot selection and partitioning process:

• Best Case: $O(n\log n)$ , occurs when the pivot always partitions the array into two equal halves.
• Average Case: $O(n\log n)$ , typical for a random pivot.
• Worst Case: $O(n^{2})$ , happens when the pivot results in the most unbalanced partitions (e.g., when the smallest or largest element is always chosen as the pivot).

The space complexity of QuickSort is $O(\log n)$ due to the stack space used by recursion.

Visualization

The video below showcases the merge sort algorithm in a random array of 50 elements.

Comparison with Merge Sort

Unlike QuickSort, MergeSort has a guaranteed time complexity of $O(n\log n)$ but requires additional space for merging, making its space complexity $O(n)$ .

Implementation

Python

Copy

def quicksort(A, lo, hi):
    """Implements the Lomuto partition
    scheme for Quick Sort algorithm"""
    if lo >= hi or lo < 0:
        return "Undefined"

    p = partition(A, lo, hi)

    quicksort(A, lo, p - 1)  # Left side of pivot
    quicksort(A, p + 1, hi)  # Right side of pivot

    return A

def partition(A, lo, hi):
    """Partition the array"""
    pivot = A[hi]  # Choose the last element as the pivot
    i = lo
    for j in range(lo, hi):
        if A[j] <= pivot:
            A[i], A[j] = A[j], A[i]
            i = i + 1

    A[i], A[hi] = A[hi], A[i]
    return i  # the pivot index

ARRAY = [2, 5, 6, 4, 8, 3, 1, 9, 7]
print(quicksort(ARRAY, 0, len(ARRAY) - 1))

Rust

Copy

fn quicksort<T: Ord>(arr: &mut [T]) {
    if arr.len() <= 1 {
        return;
    }

    let pivot = partition(arr);

    quicksort(&mut arr[..pivot]);
    quicksort(&mut arr[pivot + 1..]);
}

fn partition<T: Ord>(arr: &mut [T]) -> usize {
    let pivot_index = arr.len() - 1;
    let mut i = 0;

    for j in 0..pivot_index {
        if arr[j] <= arr[pivot_index] {
            arr.swap(i, j);
            i += 1;
        }
    }

    arr.swap(i, pivot_index);
    i
}

fn main() {
    let mut arr = [5, 2, 9, 1, 7, 6, 3, 8, 4];
    quicksort(&mut arr);
    println!("{:?}", arr);
}

Conclusion

QuickSort is a highly efficient and commonly used sorting algorithm, particularly suitable for large datasets due to its average-case time complexity of $O(n\log n)$ . While its performance can degrade to $O(n^{2})$ in the worst case, with good pivot selection strategies, it remains one of the fastest sorting algorithms available.

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André Albano @onablaerdna
I'm a Geophysicist and Coder. I work with seismic inversion algorithms, software development, well log analysis and so on.