Length of strings for a merge sort

Authors:
Donald E. Knuth
Affiliations:
California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA
Venue:
Communications of the ACM
Year:
1963

Citing 1
Cited 7

Read-backward polyphase sorting

Communications of the ACM

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Journal of the ACM (JACM)
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Sorting by replacement selecting

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Some improvements in the technology of string merging and internal sorting

AFIPS '64 (Spring) Proceedings of the April 21-23, 1964, spring joint computer conference
A guided bibliography to sorting

IBM Systems Journal

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Abstract

Detailed statistics are given on the length of maximal sorted strings which result from the first (internal sort) phase of a merge sort onto tapes. It is shown that the strings produced by an alternating method (i.e. one which produces ascending and descending strings alternately) tend to be only three-fourths as long as those in a method which produces only ascending strings, contrary to statements which have appeared previously in the literature. A slight modification of the read-backward polyphase merge algorithm is therefore suggested.