Merge Sort vs Heap Sort: Which is Better?

What are the main differences between Merge Sort and Heap Sort?

Merge Sort is a divide-and-conquer algorithm that divides the array into halves, sorts them, and merges them back. Heap Sort, on the other hand, uses a binary heap data structure to sort elements in place.

Which one is more efficient in terms of time complexity?

Merge Sort has a time complexity of O(n log n) in all cases, while Heap Sort also has O(n log n) but can be slower in practice due to more cache misses.

Are there any scenarios where one is preferred over the other?

Yes, Merge Sort is preferred for large datasets and linked lists, while Heap Sort is useful when memory usage is a concern since it sorts in place.

Can you explain how the algorithms work in a bit more detail?

Sure! Merge Sort recursively splits the array and merges sorted halves, while Heap Sort builds a max heap and repeatedly extracts the maximum element to sort the array.