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Insertion Sort Algorithm

This document describes insertion sort, a sorting algorithm that maintains a sorted sublist in an array. It iterates through the array, inserting each element into the correct position in the sorted sublist. While its average and worst case complexities are O(n^2), it is an in-place algorithm suitable for small data sets.

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5 views

Insertion Sort Algorithm

This document describes insertion sort, a sorting algorithm that maintains a sorted sublist in an array. It iterates through the array, inserting each element into the correct position in the sorted sublist. While its average and worst case complexities are O(n^2), it is an in-place algorithm suitable for small data sets.

Uploaded by

adenoch113
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DATA STRUCTURE - INSERTION SORT

http://www.tutorialspoint.com/data_structures_algorithms/insertion_sort_algorithm.htm
Copyright © tutorialspoint.com

This is a in-place comparison based sorting algorithm. Here, a sub-list is maintained which is
always sorted. For example, the lower part of an array is maintained to be sorted. A element which
is to be 'insert'ed in this sorted sub-list, has to find its appropriate place and insert it there. Hence
the name insertion sort.

The array is searched sequentially and unsorted items are moved and inserted into sorted sub-list
inthesamearray. This algorithm is not suitable for large data sets as its average and worst case
complexity are of Ο(n2 ) where n are no. of items.

How insertion sort works?


We take an unsorted array for our example.

Insertion sort compares the first two elements.

It finds that both 14 and 33 are already in ascending order. For now, 14 is in sorted sub-list.

Insertion sort moves ahead and compares 33 with 27.

And finds that 33 is not in correct position.

It swaps 33 with 27. Also it checks with all the elements of sorted sublist. Here we see that sorted
sub-list has only one element 14 and 27 is greater than 14. Hence sorted sub-list remain sorted
after swapping.

By now we have 14 and 27 in the sorted sublist. Next it compares 33 with 10,.

These values are not in sorted order.


So we swap them.

But swapping makes 27 and 10 unsorted.

So we swap them too.

Again we find 14 and 10 in unsorted order.

And we swap them. By the end of third iteration we have a sorted sublist of 3 items.

This process goes until all the unsorted values are covered in sorted sublist. And now we shall see
some programming aspects of insertion sort.

Algorithm
Now we have a bigger picture of how this sorting technique works, so we can derive simple steps
by which we can achieve insertion sort.

Step 1 − If it is the first element, it is already sorted. return 1;


Step 1 − Pick next element
Step 1 − Compare with all elements in the sorted sub-list
Step 1 − Find appropriate position
Step 1 − Insert the value
Step 1 − Repeat until list is sorted

Pseudocode
procedure insertionSort( A : array of items )
int holePosition
int valueToInsert

for i = 1 to length(A) inclusive do:

/* select value to be inserted */


valueToInsert = A[i]
holePosition = i

/*locate hole position for the element to be inserted */

while holePosition > 0 and A[i-1] > valueToInsert do:


A[holePosition] = A[holePosition-1]
holePosition = holePosition -1
end while

/* insert the number at hole position */


A[holePosition] = valueToInsert

end for

end procedure

To see insertion sort implementation in C programming language, please click here.


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