Insertion Sort

There are different scripts that you will come across when you are trying to do coding or programming. Over time, people have started to become more familiar with scripting languages. They have become more powerful and people are trying their best to learn more about scripts now.

A script can be used in order to write powerful code that will change the whole software system. It can be used in order to operate the software system. It can also target the software system properly. Now that you have an idea of how important a script is, let us focus on one particular script – the insertion sort.

The instructions that will be written in codes are also known as an algorithm. Have you ever wondered why it is easy to search for some items online? It is because of the algorithm. When you type in certain keywords or search some videos, you are bound to find some similar content again.

There are some comparison tools that are being used in order to sort algorithms. There are different ones that you can find. Sometimes, the program that you use will also affect the type of comparison tool that will work for you. Let us focus on one comparison tool right now – Insertion Sort.

What is the Insertion Sort?

This is a simple comparison sort that can be used when you are trying to sort a list or an array. This sorting algorithm will also be effective in comparing the current value of what you are trying to compare with the other details available. If the insertion sort works, then all of the data with the same value will be placed within the same list.

One important thing about the insertion sort is it does not need to know all of the values that it would sort before it starts. This can be very effective especially when there are a lot of elements that are involved. The new elements will just be placed in their sorted positions easily without having to re-check all of the data.

The Implementation of Insertion Sort

You probably understand what insertion sort is at this point in time. Now is the time to understand its implementation. The iteration will begin from the second element. There are some more details that you should know:

  • It is important to keep track of the current element.
  • The current element will be the first element of the unsorted array.
  • The elements will be shifted to the right once they are sorted.
  • This will allow the current element to be unsorted with the unsorted array.
  • The current element will finally be sorted into its designated spot.

The Time Comparison of the Insertion Sort

The running time of insertion sort is linear. This means that if the input array is already sorted, the insertion sort will work well. It can be complex when time complexity is O(n2). This is sometimes applied to data that is bigger than usual. Insertion sort will not be the best choice for this type of data. Some people would rather use Merge Sort.

When it comes to sorting quadratic algorithms, insertion sort is normally the choice of people. It can be very fast and it will outperform all of the other algorithms that people are using. The input array size will also be another factor that you can consider if you are going to use Insertion Sort. This can be very effective when you are just sorting about 10 to 20 elements.


JavaScript is known to use Insertion Sort when it is a sorting algorithm in small collections. For bigger collections, it would use Merge Sort if you are using Mozilla Firefox. You are going to use Quicksort if you are using Google Chrome.

Benefits of Insertion Sort

Insertion sort is not perfect but it does have its good points:

  • This algorithm is very simple.
  • The order of the items will not change while it is being used.
  • You can add other elements while sorting is taking place and there is no need to sort everything again.
  • This can be efficient for small data sets.

Conclusion

If you would like to have an in-place algorithm, you know that this is one of the best ones to use. This comes with some benefits like the fact that it is simple, stable, and it is effective when it comes to sorting small elements.

The quadratic complexity can be considered time-consuming. In fact, if you do not know how to use it, it may become tedious. As long as you know how to use it, it will not be an issue. This can outperform some of the algorithms that people are already familiar with.

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