What are some applications of Quick Sort in programming?

What are some applications of Quick Sort in programming?

Quick Sort is widely used in various applications, including sorting large datasets, implementing efficient algorithms, and in libraries like C++'s STL.

Can you explain why Quick Sort is preferred over other sorting algorithms?

Quick Sort is often preferred due to its average-case time complexity of O(n log n) and its ability to sort in place, which saves memory.

Are there any scenarios where Quick Sort might not be the best choice?

Yes, Quick Sort can perform poorly on already sorted data or when using a bad pivot selection strategy, leading to O(n^2) time complexity.

How does Quick Sort compare to Merge Sort?

Quick Sort is generally faster in practice due to lower constant factors, but Merge Sort is stable and better for linked lists.

Can you provide a code example of Quick Sort in C++?

Sure! Here's a simple implementation:

void quickSort(int arr[], int low, int high) {
    if (low < high) {
        int pi = partition(arr, low, high);
        quickSort(arr, low, pi - 1);
        quickSort(arr, pi + 1, high);
    }
}