Merge Sort

Merge sort (also commonly spelled mergesort) is an O(n log n) comparison-based sorting algorithm. Most implementations produce a stable sort, which means that the implementation preserves the input order of equal elements in the sorted output. Merge sort is a divide and conquer algorithm that was invented by John von Neumann in 1945. A detailed description and analysis of bottom-up mergesort appeared in a report by Goldstine and Neumann as early as 1948.

Read more about Merge Sort:  Algorithm, Natural Merge Sort, Analysis, Use With Tape Drives, Optimizing Merge Sort, Parallel Processing, Comparison With Other Sort Algorithms, Utility in Online Sorting

Famous quotes containing the words merge and/or sort:

    If men at forty will be painting lakes
    The ephemeral blues must merge for them in one,
    The basic slate, the universal hue.
    Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)

    I know that two and two make four—& should be glad to prove it too if I could—though I must say if by any sort of process I could convert 2 & 2 into five it would give me much greater pleasure.
    George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)