Bubble Sort
Computer Science: OCR A Level, topic 8.1.5
Bubble Sort
Bubble sort is a naive sorting algorithm.
The concept
- Imagine that you have a set of cards face up on the desk.
- If the first two cards are in the wrong order, you swap them.
- Then do the same for the second and third cards, and continue in this pattern until the end of the pack. This is known as a pass.
- The highest value will 'bubble' up to the top of the pack each pass.
- By repeating this enough times, the pack will get sorted.
In English
- Compare the first two items of the dataset:
- If they are in the wrong order, swap them.
- Continue for the rest of the cards in the deck.
- Repeat the whole process, until a pass with no swaps happens.
In pseudocode
Pros and cons of bubble sort
- Pros:
- Easy to implement.
- Does not use much memory.
- Cons:
- Poor for efficiency.
Test yourself on Bubble Sort
What is the main disadvantage of bubble sort?
Bubble Sort in English