Real-world algorithm practice

Concepts in Computer Science

Pritesh Patel

Computer Scientist & Data Scientist for over 20 years

Commonly used algorithms: sorting & searching

Sorting

Used when you need to order things

Real world problems:

  1. Online Shopping: Sorting by price, rating, popularity.
  2. Calendar Sorting: Sorting events by date & time.

Searching

Used when you need to search for things

Real world problems:

  1. Online Shopping: Searching for book title.
  2. Customer Support: Searching for previous tickets by customer name.
Concepts in Computer Science

Sorting algorithms: bubble sort vs quick sort

Bubble Sort An animation that shows how bubble sort works

  • Bubble Sort: Compare, swap, repeat, pass.
  • Time complexity: $O(n^2)$.
  • Imagine Online Shopping with Millions of items to sort - Grows exponentially as catalog grows.

Quick Sort An animation that shows how quick sort works

  • Quick Sort: Divide, pivot, sort, merge.
  • Time complexity: O(n log n).
  • Imagine Online Shopping with Millions of items to sort - More sustainable as catalog grows.
Concepts in Computer Science

Searching algorithms: linear search vs binary search

Linear Search An animation that shows how linear search works

  • Time complexity: $O(n)$.
  • Simple, checks each element one by one.
  • Linear Search: Scan, compare, find, stop.

Binary Search An animation that shows how binary search works

  • Time complexity: $O(log\,n)$.
  • Efficient, but requires a sorted list.
  • Binary Search: Divide, compare, eliminate, repeat.
Concepts in Computer Science

Conclusion

  • Bubble sort, quick sort, binary search, linear search
  • Quick Sort and Binary Search are more efficient for large datasets.
  • Now you should have an intuition why efficiency in algorithms can make or break an experience with technology.
Concepts in Computer Science

Let's practice!

Concepts in Computer Science

Preparing Video For Download...