CS 2201

Computer Algorithms

Merge Sort
Solving Recurrences
Iteration Method
 Merge Sort (cont’d)
• Example with a hand of seven cards
 Merge Sort
• What makes this method more
effective than simple insertion sort?
– merging two piles is a very simple
operation
– only need to look at the two cards
currently on the top of each pile
– no need to look deeper into either
group

• In this example:
– compare 2 with 5, pick up the 2
– compare 5 with 7, pick up the 5
– ....
 Merge Sort
MergeSort(A, left, right) {
if (left < right) {
mid = floor((left + right) / 2);
MergeSort(A, left, mid);
MergeSort(A, mid+1, right);
Merge(A, left, mid, right);
}
}

// Merge() takes two sorted subarrays of A and

// merges them into a single sorted subarray of A
// (how long should this take?)
 Merge Sort: Example
• Show MergeSort() running on the array

A = {10, 5, 7, 6, 1, 4, 8, 3, 2, 9};
 Analysis of Merge Sort
Statement Effort
MergeSort(A, left, right) { T(n)
if (left < right) { (1)
mid = floor((left + right) / 2); (1)
MergeSort(A, left, mid); T(n/2)
MergeSort(A, mid+1, right); T(n/2)
Merge(A, left, mid, right); (n)
}
}
• So T(n) = (1) when n = 1, and
2T(n/2) + (n) when n > 1
• So what (more succinctly) is T(n)?
 Recurrences
• The expression:
 c n 1

T ( n)  
2T    cn n  1
 n
  2 
is a recurrence.
– Recurrence: an equation that describes a function
in terms of its value on smaller functions
 Recurrence Examples

 0 n0  0 n0
s ( n)   s ( n)  
c  s (n  1) n  0 n  s (n  1) n  0

n 1 
 c  c n 1
 
T ( n)   T ( n)  
2T    c n  1
 n  n
  2  aT    cn n  1
 b
 Solving Recurrences
• Substitution method
• Iteration method
• Master method
 Solving Recurrences
• The substitution method (CLR 4.1)
– A.k.a. the “making a good guess method”
– Guess the form of the answer, then use induction
to find the constants and show that solution
works
– Examples:
• T(n) = 2T(n/2) + (n)  T(n) = (n lg n)
• T(n) = 2T(n/2) + n  ???
 Solving Recurrences
• The substitution method (CLR 4.1)
– A.k.a. the “making a good guess method”
– Guess the form of the answer, then use induction
to find the constants and show that solution
works
– Examples:
• T(n) = 2T(n/2) + (n)  T(n) = (n lg n)
• T(n) = 2T(n/2) + n  T(n) = (n lg n)
• T(n) = 2T(n/2 )+ 17) + n  ???
 Solving Recurrences
• The substitution method (CLR 4.1)
– A.k.a. the “making a good guess method”
– Guess the form of the answer, then use induction
to find the constants and show that solution
works
– Examples:
• T(n) = 2T(n/2) + (n)  T(n) = (n lg n)
• T(n) = 2T(n/2) + n  T(n) = (n lg n)
• T(n) = 2T(n/2+ 17) + n  (n lg n)
 Solving Recurrences
• Another option is what the book calls the
“iteration method”
– Expand the recurrence
– Work some algebra to express as a summation
– Evaluate the summation
• We will show several examples
  0 n0
s ( n)  
c  s (n  1) n  0
• s(n) =
c + s(n-1)
c + c + s(n-2)
2c + s(n-2)
2c + c + s(n-3)
3c + s(n-3)
…
kc + s(n-k) = ck + s(n-k)
  0 n0
s ( n)  
c  s (n  1) n  0

• So far for n >= k we have

– s(n) = ck + s(n-k)
• What if k = n?
– s(n) = cn + s(0) = cn
  0 n0
s ( n)  
c  s (n  1) n  0

• So far for n >= k we have

– s(n) = ck + s(n-k)
• What if k = n?
– s(n) = cn + s(0) = cn
• So  0 n0
s ( n)  
c  s (n  1) n  0
• Thus in general
– s(n) = cn
  0 n0
s ( n)  
n  s (n  1) n  0
• s(n)
= n + s(n-1)
= n + n-1 + s(n-2)
= n + n-1 + n-2 + s(n-3)
= n + n-1 + n-2 + n-3 + s(n-4)
= …
= n + n-1 + n-2 + n-3 + … + n-(k-1) + s(n-k)
  0 n0
s ( n)  
n  s (n  1) n  0
• s(n)
= n + s(n-1)
= n + n-1 + s(n-2)
= n + n-1 + n-2 + s(n-3)
= n + n-1 + n-2 + n-3 + s(n-4)
= …
= n + n-1 + n-2 + n-3 + … + n-(k-1) + s(n-k)
n

= i
i  n  k 1
 s(n  k )
  0 n0
s ( n)  
n  s (n  1) n  0
• So far for n >= k we have
n

i
i  n  k 1
 s(n  k )
  0 n0
s ( n)  
n  s (n  1) n  0
• So far for n >= k we have
n

i
i  n  k 1
 s(n  k )

• What if k = n?
  0 n0
s ( n)  
n  s (n  1) n  0
• So far for n >= k we have
n

i
i  n  k 1
 s(n  k )

• What if k = n?
n n
n 1
i
i 1
 s ( 0)   i  0  n
i 1 2
  0 n0
s ( n)  
n  s (n  1) n  0
• So far for n >= k we have
n

i
i  n  k 1
 s(n  k )

• What if k = n?
n n
n 1
i
i 1
 s ( 0)   i  0  n
i 1 2
• Thus in general
n 1
s ( n)  n
2
  c n 1

T (n)  2T  n   c n  1
 
  2 

• T(n) =
2T(n/2) + c
2(2T(n/2/2) + c) + c
22T(n/22) + 2c + c
22(2T(n/22/2) + c) + 3c
23T(n/23) + 4c + 3c
23T(n/23) + 7c
23(2T(n/23/2) + c) + 7c
24T(n/24) + 15c
…
2kT(n/2k) + (2k - 1)c
  c n 1
 n
T (n)  2T
   c n 1
  2 

• So far for n > 2k we have

– T(n) = 2kT(n/2k) + (2k - 1)c
• What if k = lg n?
– T(n) = 2lg n T(n/2lg n) + (2lg n - 1)c
= n T(n/n) + (n - 1)c
= n T(1) + (n-1)c
= nc + (n-1)c = (2n - 1)c
The End