MergeSort and RadixSort-Heaps

Question 1

How does MergeSort work?

Answer 1

Recursively divides the array, sorts each half, then merges the sorted halves.
Time complexity: O(n log n), stable, not in-place.

Question 2

What is Radix Sort?

Answer 2

A non-comparison sorting algorithm that sorts data by processing individual digits or characters, starting with the least significant digit.
Time complexity: O(nk), where k is the number of digits.

Question 3

When is Radix Sort preferable?

Answer 3

When sorting large datasets of integers or strings with fixed maximum length.

Question 4

What is a Heap?

Answer 4

A complete binary tree satisfying the heap property: each parent is greater (max-heap) or smaller (min-heap) than its children.

Question 5

How does HeapSort work?

Answer 5

Builds a heap, repeatedly removes the max (or min), and rebuilds the heap.
Time complexity: O(n log n), not stable, in-place.