Divide and Conquer: Merge

Sort
Understanding the Algorithm and its Applications
Introduction
• Brief explanation of the concept of sorting algorithms
• Introduction to the Divide and Conquer paradigm
What is Merge Sort?
• Merge Sort is a popular sorting algorithm that follows the Divide and Conquer
paradigm
• The main idea behind Merge Sort is to divide the unsorted list into n sublists, each
containing one element, and then repeatedly merge sublists to produce new
sorted sublists until there is only one sublist remaining, which is the sorted list.
Divide and Conquer paradigm
• Divide: The unsorted list is divided into two equal halves repeatedly until each
sublist contains only one element.
• Conquer: The divided sublists are sorted recursively.
• Merge: The sorted sublists are merged back together in a sorted manner. During
the merge process, elements from the two sublists are compared and merged into
a new sorted sublist.
• Repeat: Steps 1-3 are repeated until the entire list is sorted.
Visual Representation
• Visual diagram or animation demonstrating how Merge Sort works.
Advantages of Merge Sort Where Merge Sort is commonly used

- Stable sorting algorithm - Database Sorting

- Efficient for large datasets - External Sorting
- Predictable and consistent performance
- Programming Languages
Recurrence relations:
Unrolling, Master method
The significance of understanding the time
complexity of algorithms
Understanding the time complexity of algorithms is crucial for several reasons,
as it provides valuable insights into how the performance of an algorithm scales
with input size. Here are some key reasons why understanding time complexity is
significant:
1. Performance Analysis - Time complexity helps in analyzing and comparing the
efficiency of different algorithms.
2. Resource Planning - Knowledge of time complexity is essential for resource
planning, especially in resource-constrained environments.
3. Optimization - Analyzing time complexity guides optimization efforts.
4. Scalability Assessment - Time complexity provides insights into how well an
algorithm scales with larger input sizes.
5. Predictability - Time complexity provides a clear and predictable measure of an
algorithm's performance.
6. Communication and Documentation - Understanding time complexity facilitates
effective communication among developers, researchers, and other stakeholders.
7. Educational Purposes - Time complexity is a fundamental concept taught in
computer science and algorithm courses.
Advantages of Unrolling
• Expansion of Recurrence
• Visualization of Iterations
• Identification of Patterns
• Simplification of Expressions
• Connection with Base Cases
• Alignment with Code Structure
• Educational Tool
• Insight into Algorithm Dynamics
Explore real-world examples where understanding
recurrence relations is crucial
Understanding recurrence relations is crucial in various real-world scenarios,
particularly in the field of computer science and algorithm design. Here are some
examples where recurrence relations play a key:
1. Sorting Algorithms
- Recurrence relations are often used to analyze the time complexity of sorting
algorithms. For example, the merge sort algorithm has a recurrence relation T(n) =
2⋅T(n /2) + cn, where T(n) represents the time complexity of sorting an array of size
n.
2. Dynamic Programming
- The recurrence relation for the Fibonacci sequence is F (n) = F (n−1) + F (n−2)
Explore real-world examples where understanding
recurrence relations is crucial
3. Merge Sort in External Sorting
- The recurrence relation for the merge step (T (n)= n + T (n−1) is crucial in
understanding the time complexity of external sorting algorithms, where data is
read from and written to external storage devices.
4. Recursive Algorithms in Graph Theory
- For example, depth-first search (DFS) and breadth-first search (BFS) involve
recurrence relations.
Use visuals or pseudocode to enhance
understanding
Pseudocode for Recursive Fibonacci
function fibonacci (n):

if n <= 1:

return n

else:

return fibonacci (n-1) + fibonacci (n-2)

 Use visuals or pseudocode to enhance
understanding

1.Original Call:
•fibonacci(5)
•Calls fibonacci(4) and fibonacci(3).

2.Recursive Calls for fibonacci(4):

•fibonacci(4) calls fibonacci(3) and fibonacci(2).
•fibonacci(3) further calls fibonacci(2) and fibonacci(1).
3.Recursive Calls for fibonacci(3):
•fibonacci(3) calls fibonacci(2) and fibonacci(1).
•fibonacci(2) calls fibonacci(1) and fibonacci(0).
4.Recursive Calls for fibonacci(2):
•fibonacci(2) calls fibonacci(1) and fibonacci(0).
5.Base Cases Reached:
•The recursion continues until the base cases are reached ( F(0) and F(1)).
THANK YOU!!