How does Quicksort compare to Mergesort?

Can you explain how Quicksort compares to Mergesort?

Sure! Quicksort is generally faster on average due to its divide-and-conquer approach, while Mergesort is stable and guarantees O(n log n) time complexity.

What are the main advantages of using Mergesort over Quicksort?

Mergesort is stable, which means it maintains the relative order of equal elements, and it performs well on linked lists and large datasets.

Are there any scenarios where Quicksort is preferred?

Yes, Quicksort is often preferred for in-memory sorting due to its lower constant factors and better cache performance.

What about the worst-case scenarios for both algorithms?

The worst-case for Quicksort is O(n^2), which occurs with poor pivot choices, while Mergesort consistently performs at O(n log n) regardless of input.