Iterative Searching and Sorting

Abstract

Probably the most important algorithms in all of computer science are the searching and sorting algorithms. They are important because they are so common. To search for an item is to know a key value and to look it up in a list. For example, when you look up a word in a dictionary or look up a phone number in a phone book based on a person’s name you are performing a search. Putting data in order is performing a sort. For example, table entries in many business reports are in some kind of order. The post office wants bulk mailings to be in order by zip code.