6.5 Merge Sort
Merge sort is a highly efficient and powerful algorithm that is used to sort large datasets. The algorithm follows the divide-and-conquer paradigm, which involves breaking down a problem into smaller sub-problems that are easier to solve. Specifically, Merge sort works by dividing an unsorted list of numbers into two halves and then sorting each half using recursion. After sorting the two halves, the algorithm then merges them back together to create a sorted list.
One of the key advantages of Merge sort over other sorting algorithms is its ability to handle large datasets. Since the algorithm works by dividing the dataset into smaller sub-problems, it can easily be parallelized to run on multiple processors or computers. This makes it an ideal choice for sorting large datasets in distributed systems.
Another advantage of Merge sort is its stability. A sorting algorithm is considered stable if it maintains the relative order of identical elements in the input sequence...