Searching Sorting

Chapter 8.6 Searching and Sorting Arrays

Sequential Search A Sequential Search can be used to determine if a specific value (the search key ) is in an array. Approach is to start with the first element and compare each element to the search key: If found, return the index of the element that contains the search key. If not found, return -1. Because -1 is not a valid index, this is a good return value to indicate that the search key was not found in the array.

Code to Perform a Sequential Search public int findWinners( int key ) { for ( int i = 0; i < winners.length; i++ ) { if ( winners[i] == key ) return i; } return -1; } See Examples 8.14 and 8.15

Searching a Sorted Array When an array's elements are in random order, our Sequential Search method needs to look at every element in the array before discovering that the search key is not in the array. This is inefficient; the larger the array, the more inefficient a Sequential Search becomes. We could simplify the search by arranging the elements in numeric order, which is called sorting the array . Once the array is sorted, we can use various search algorithms to speed up a search.

Sequential Search of a Sorted Array When the array is sorted, we can implement a more efficient algorithm for a sequential search. If the search key is not in the array, we can detect that condition when we find a value that is higher than the search key. All elements past that position will be greater than the value of that element, and therefore, greater than the search key.

Sample Code public int searchSortedArray( int key ) { for ( int i = 0; i < array.length && array[i] <= key ; i++ ) { if ( array[i] == key ) return i; } return –1; // end of array reached without // finding key or // an element larger than // the key was found }

Binary Search A Binary Search is like the "Guess a Number" game. To guess a number between 1 and 100, we start with 50 (halfway between the beginning number and the end number). If we learn that the number is greater than 50, we immediately know the number is not 1 - 49. If we learn that the number is less than 50, we immediately know the number is not 51 - 100. We keep guessing the number that is in the middle of the remaining numbers (eliminating half the remaining numbers) until we find the number.

Binary Search The "Guess a Number" approach works because 1 - 100 are a "sorted" set of numbers. To use a Binary Search, the array must be sorted. Our Binary Search will attempt to find a search key in a sorted array. If the search key is found, we return the index of the element with that value. If the search key is not found,we return -1.

The Binary Search Algorithm We begin by comparing the middle element of the array and the search key. If they are equal, we found the search key and return the index of the middle element. If the middle element's value is greater than the search key, then the search key cannot be found in elements with higher array indexes. So, we continue our search in the left half of the array. If the middle element's value is less than the search key, then the search key cannot be found in elements with lower array indexes. So, we continue our search in the right half of the array.

The Binary Search Algorithm (con't) As we keep searching, the subarray we search keeps shrinking in size. In fact, the size of the subarray we search is cut in half at every iteration. If the search key is not in the array, the subarray we search will eventually become empty. At that point, we know that we will not find our search key in the array, and we return –1.

Example of a Binary Search For example, we will search for the value 7 in this sorted array: To begin, we find the index of the center element, which is 8, and we compare our search key (7) with the value 45.

Binary Search Example (con't) Because 7 is less than 45, we eliminate all array elements higher than our current middle element and consider elements 0 through 7 the new subarray to search. The index of the center element is now 3, so we compare 7 to the value 8.

Binary Search Example (con't) Because 7 is less than 8, we eliminate all array elements higher than our current middle element (3) and make elements 0 through 2 the new subarray to search. The index of the center element is now 1, so we compare 7 to the value 6.

Binary Search: Finding the search key Because 7 is greater than 6, we eliminate array elements lower than our current middle element (1) and make element 2 the new subarray to search. The value of element 2 matches the search key, so our search is successful and we return the index 2.

Binary Search Example 2 This time, we search for a value not found in the array, 34. Again, we start with the entire array and find the index of the middle element, which is 8. We compare our search key (34) with the value 45.

Binary Search Example 2 (con't) Because 34 is less than 45, we eliminate array elements higher than our current middle element and consider elements 0 through 7 the new subarray to search. The index of the center element is now 3, so we compare 34 to the value 8.

Binary Search Example 2 (con't) Because 34 is greater than 8, we eliminate array elements lower than our current middle element and consider elements 4 through 7 the new subarray to search. The index of the center element is now 5, so we compare 34 to the value 15.

Binary Search Example 2 (con't) Again, we eliminate array elements lower than our current middle element and make elements 6 and 7 the new subarray to search. The index of the center element is now 6, so we compare 34 to the value 22.

Binary Search 2: search key is not found Next, we eliminate array elements lower than our current middle element and make element 7 the new subarray to search. We compare 34 to the value 36, and attempt to eliminate the higher subarray, which leaves an empty subarray. We have determined that 32 is not in the array. We return -1 to indicate an unsuccessful search.

Binary Search Code public int binarySearch( int [] array, int key ) { int start = 0, end = array.length - 1; while ( end >= start ) { int middle = ( start + end ) / 2; if ( array[middle] == key ) return middle; // key found else if ( array[middle] > key ) end = middle - 1; // search left else start = middle + 1; // search right } return -1; // key not found }

Sorting an Array Selection Sort Bubble Sort Sorting Array objects

Selection Sort In a Selection Sort , we select the largest element in the array and place it at the end of the array. Then we select the next-largest element and put it in the next-to-last position in the array, and so on. To do this, we consider the unsorted portion of the array as a subarray . We repeatedly select the largest value in the current subarray and move it to the end of the subarray, then consider a new subarray by eliminating the elements that are in their sorted locations. We continue until the subarray has only one element. At that time, the array is sorted.

The Selection Sort Algorithm To sort an array with n elements in ascending order: 1. Consider the n elements as a subarray with m = n elements. 2. Find the index of the largest value in this subarray. 3. Swap the values of the element with the largest value and the element in the last position in the subarray. 4. Consider a new subarray of m = m - 1 elements by eliminating the last element in the previous subarray 5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 until m = 1 .

Selection Sort Example In the beginning, the entire array is the unsorted subarray: We swap the largest element with the last element:

Selection Sort Example (continued) Again, we swap the largest and last elements: When there is only 1 unsorted element, the array is completely sorted:

Swapping Values To swap two values, we define a temporary variable to hold the value of one of the elements, so that we don't lose that value during the swap. To swap elements a and b : define a temporary variable, temp. assign element a to temp. assign element b to element a. assign temp to element b.

Swapping Example This code will swap elements 3 and 6 in an int array named array : int temp; // step 1 temp = array[3]; // step 2 array[3] = array[6]; // step 3 array[6] = temp; // step 4 See Examples 8.16 & 8.17

Bubble Sort The basic approach to a Bubble Sort is to make multiple passes through the array. In each pass, we compare adjacent elements. If any two adjacent elements are out of order, we put them in order by swapping their values. At the end of each pass, one more element has "bubbled" up to its correct position . We keep making passes through the array until all the elements are in order.

Bubble Sort Algorithm To sort an array of n elements in ascending order, we use a nested loop: The outer loop executes n – 1 times. For each iteration of the outer loop, the inner loop steps through all the unsorted elements of the array and does the following: Compares the current element with the next element in the array. If the next element is smaller, it swaps the two elements.

Bubble Sort Pseudocode for i = 0 to last array index – 1 by 1 { for j = 0 to ( last array index – i - 1 ) by 1 { if ( 2 consecutive elements are not in order ) swap the elements } }

Bubble Sort Example At the beginning, the array is: We compare elements 0 (17) and 1 (26) and find they are in the correct order, so we do not swap.

Bubble Sort Example (con't) The inner loop counter is incremented to the next element: We compare elements 1 (26) and 2 (5), and find they are not in the correct order, so we swap them.

Bubble Sort Example (con't) The inner loop counter is incremented to the next element: We compare elements 2 (26) and 3 (2), and find they are not in the correct order, so we swap them. The inner loop completes, which ends our first pass through the array.

Bubble Sort Example (2 nd pass) The largest value in the array (26) has bubbled up to its correct position. We begin the second pass through the array. We compare elements 0 (17) and 1 (5) and swap them.

Bubble Sort Example (2 nd pass) We compare elements 1 (17) and 2 (2) and swap. This ends the second pass through the array. The second-largest element (17) has bubbled up to its correct position.

Bubble Sort (3 rd pass) We begin the last pass through the array. We compare element 0 (5) with element 1 (2) and swap them.

Bubble Sort ( complete ) The third-largest value (5) has bubbled up to its correct position. Only one element remains, so the array is now sorted.

Bubble Sort Code for ( int i = 0; i < array.length - 1; i++ ) { for ( int j = 0; j < array.length – i - 1; j++ ) { if ( array[j] > array[j + 1] ) { // swap the elements int temp = array[j + 1]; array[j + 1] = array[j]; array[j] = temp; } } // end inner for loop } // end outer for loop See Examples 8.18 & 8.19

Sorting Arrays of Objects In arrays of objects, the array elements are object references. Thus, to sort an array of objects, we need to sort the data of the objects. Usually, one of the instance variables of the object acts as a sort key . For example, in an email object, the sort key might be the date received.

Example Code to sort an array of Auto objects using model as the sort key: for ( int i = 0; i < array.length - 1; i++ ) { for ( int j = 0; j < array.length - i - 1; j++ ) { if ( array[j].getModel( ).compareTo( array[j + 1].getModel( ) ) > 0 ) { Auto temp = array[j + 1]; array[j + 1] = array[j]; array[j] = temp; } end if statement } // end inner for loop } // end outer for loop

Searching Sorting

More Related Content

What's hot (20)

Similar to Searching Sorting (20)

Recently uploaded (20)

Searching Sorting