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QuickSelect Algorithm

QuickSelect is an algorithm that partially sorts an array to find the k-th smallest or largest element by using a pivot for partitioning. The process involves selecting a pivot, rearranging the array, and recursively focusing on the relevant partition based on the pivot's position. While the average time complexity is O(n), it can degrade to O(n^2) in the worst case with poor pivot choices.

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5 views

QuickSelect Algorithm

QuickSelect is an algorithm that partially sorts an array to find the k-th smallest or largest element by using a pivot for partitioning. The process involves selecting a pivot, rearranging the array, and recursively focusing on the relevant partition based on the pivot's position. While the average time complexity is O(n), it can degrade to O(n^2) in the worst case with poor pivot choices.

Uploaded by

ishantr573
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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QuickSelect Algorithm (Optimal Approach)

QuickSelect is a variant of the QuickSort algorithm, but instead of sorting the entire array, it
only partially sorts the array until it finds the k-th smallest or largest element.

The key insight of QuickSelect is that if we pick a pivot (as in QuickSort), we can use the
partitioning process to narrow down where the k-th element is. We only need to recursively
focus on the part of the array that contains the k-th element.

Steps for QuickSelect:

1. Choose a Pivot: Select a random pivot element from the array.


2. Partitioning: Rearrange the array so that elements smaller than the pivot are on the
left side and elements larger than the pivot are on the right side. This process gives us
the pivot's final sorted position.
3. Determine Location:
o If the pivot’s position is exactly k (adjusted for 0-based indexing), then the
pivot is the k-th largest element.
o If the pivot’s position is greater than k, repeat the process on the left partition
(the smaller elements).
o If the pivot’s position is less than k, repeat the process on the right partition
(the larger elements).

The expected time complexity is O(n) for average cases (since each partition step reduces the
problem size by roughly half), but it can degrade to O(n^2) in the worst case if the pivot is
poorly chosen (e.g., if it always picks the smallest or largest element).

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