Quicksort vs Mergesort: Which is Better?

What are the main differences between quicksort and mergesort?

Quicksort is a divide-and-conquer algorithm that sorts in place, while mergesort divides the array into halves and merges them back.

Which one is faster in practice?

Quicksort is generally faster for smaller datasets due to lower overhead, but mergesort is more efficient for larger datasets.

Are there any scenarios where mergesort is preferred?

Yes, mergesort is preferred when stability is required or when dealing with linked lists, as it can be more efficient in those cases.

Can you explain the time complexity of both algorithms?

Quicksort has an average time complexity of O(n log n) but can degrade to O(n²) in the worst case. Mergesort consistently runs in O(n log n) time.