#divide-and-conquer

Merge Sort

Introduction Merge Sort is a divide-and-conquer sorting algorithm that splits an array in half, recursively sorts each half, then merges the two sorted halves back together. It’s like sorting a deck of cards by splitting it into smaller and smaller piles until each pile has one card, then merging piles together in order. Unlike Quick Sort, which can degrade to O(n²) with bad pivot choices, Merge Sort guarantees O(n log n) in every case. Read more →

March 31, 2026

Quick Sort

Introduction Quick Sort is a divide-and-conquer sorting algorithm that works by picking a “pivot” element and partitioning the array so that everything smaller goes to the left and everything larger goes to the right. Then it recursively sorts each side. It’s like organizing a messy bookshelf by picking a book in the middle, putting everything shorter to the left and taller to the right, then repeating for each side. Quick Sort is one of the most widely used sorting algorithms in practice — it’s the default in many standard library implementations because of its excellent average-case performance and low overhead. Read more →

March 31, 2026

Recursion

Introduction Recursion is a programming technique where a function calls itself to solve a problem by breaking it down into smaller, similar subproblems. Think of Russian nesting dolls—each doll contains a smaller version of itself until you reach the smallest one that doesn’t open. Recursion is fundamental to computer science and appears in tree traversals, sorting algorithms, mathematical computations, and backtracking problems. While it can seem magical at first, understanding recursion unlocks powerful problem-solving techniques. Read more →

November 19, 2025