Sorting AlgorithmsBeginner

Insertion Sort

Works like sorting playing cards in your hands - inserting each element one at a time into its proper position. Runs in O(n) time for already sorted data, making it highly efficient for small arrays or nearly sorted datasets. Simple yet adaptive algorithm.

#sorting#stable#in-place#adaptive

Complexity Analysis

Time (Average)

O(n²)

Expected case performance

Space

O(1)

Memory requirements

Time (Best)

O(n)

Best case performance

Time (Worst)

O(n²)

Worst case performance

📚 CLRS Reference

Introduction to Algorithms•Chapter 2•Section 2.1

Input Array (comma-separated numbers, 1-100, max 20 elements)

Quick Presets

Step: 1 / 0

Animation Speed500ms

SlowFast

Keyboard Shortcuts

Space Play/Pause← → StepR Reset1-4 Speed

Real-time Statistics

Algorithm Performance Metrics

Progress0%

Comparisons

Swaps

Array Accesses

Steps

1/ 0

Algorithm Visualization

Step 1 of 0

Initialize array to begin

Default

Comparing

Swapped

Sorted

Code Execution

Currently executing

Previously executed

Implementation

Related Algorithms

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Bubble Sort

Beginner

The most basic sorting algorithm that repeatedly compares adjacent elements and swaps them if they are in wrong order. Like bubbles rising to the surface, larger values gradually move to the end of the array. Best suited for small datasets or educational purposes to understand sorting fundamentals.

Selection Sort

Beginner

Finds the smallest element and moves it to the front repeatedly. Each iteration "selects" the minimum from remaining elements and places it after the sorted portion. Simple to implement with minimal memory usage, but always takes O(n²) time regardless of input.

Quick Sort

Intermediate

A highly efficient sorting algorithm that selects a pivot element and partitions the array with smaller values on the left and larger on the right. Averages O(n log n) and is the most widely used sorting method in practice. Forms the foundation of built-in sort functions in most programming languages.

O(n log n)

O(log n)

sortingdivide-and-conquer

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