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WC 01

The document outlines a weekly challenge for a computer science course focused on comparing the running times of three sorting algorithms: insertion sort, merge sort, and Python's built-in sorted function. Students are tasked with writing a program to measure and plot the sorting times for varying sizes of random integer sequences, ultimately estimating the size at which merge sort outperforms insertion sort. Submissions require an image of the plot with a specific annotation and the corresponding Python file.

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0 views2 pages

WC 01

The document outlines a weekly challenge for a computer science course focused on comparing the running times of three sorting algorithms: insertion sort, merge sort, and Python's built-in sorted function. Students are tasked with writing a program to measure and plot the sorting times for varying sizes of random integer sequences, ultimately estimating the size at which merge sort outperforms insertion sort. Submissions require an image of the plot with a specific annotation and the corresponding Python file.

Uploaded by

mannan.mohammed14
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Weekly Challenge 01: Comparison

CS/CE 412/471 Algorithms: Design and Analysis


Spring 2025

1. Sort on Top
We are going to compare the running times of 3 sorting algorithms: insertion sort, merge
sort, and python’s built-in sorted. For a given sequence, a, of size, n, we will note the time,
t, it takes to sort a using each of the algorithms. We will obtain values of t for various values
of n and plot them. We will then use the plot to estimate the size of n at which merge sort
becomes faster than insertion sort.

Task
Write a program that
• iterates a variable, n, over the values 10, 20, 30, 40, . . . , 500,
• for each n, generates a random sequence (list), a, of n integers,
• measures the time taken to sort each a by each of the following algorithms: insertion
sort, merge sort, and python’s built-in sorted,
• plots the time taken by each algorithm for each of the values of n.
Use the plot to estimate, n0 , the value of n at which merge sort becomes faster than insertion
sort.

Submission
You will submit an image file containing the plot and, overlaid on it, the string, n0 =?, where
“?” is replaced by your value of n0 . Also submit your py file.

Hint
• Use step with range to iterate over values of n.
• A random sequence of size n can be generated as
import random
a = list ( range ( n ) )
random . shuffle ( a )

• Here is a collection of timing functions in python. You may use any one.
• Insertion- and merge- sort are standard sorting algorithms. You may use third-party
implementations.
• Remember to make a copy of a for each sorting algorithm, so that each algorithm sorts
the same sequence of values.
• You may use the matplotlib module for plotting.

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