Merge Sort

Merge Sort Algorithm in C++ (Complete Implementation)

IntermediateTopic: Sorting & Searching Programs
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C++ Merge Sort Program

This program helps you to learn the fundamental structure and syntax of C++ programming.

Try This Code
#include <iostream>
using namespace std;

void merge(int arr[], int left, int mid, int right) {
    int n1 = mid - left + 1;
    int n2 = right - mid;
    
    // Create temporary arrays
    int L[n1], R[n2];
    
    // Copy data to temp arrays
    for (int i = 0; i < n1; i++)
        L[i] = arr[left + i];
    for (int j = 0; j < n2; j++)
        R[j] = arr[mid + 1 + j];
    
    // Merge temp arrays back
    int i = 0, j = 0, k = left;
    while (i < n1 && j < n2) {
        if (L[i] <= R[j]) {
            arr[k] = L[i];
            i++;
        } else {
            arr[k] = R[j];
            j++;
        }
        k++;
    }
    
    // Copy remaining elements
    while (i < n1) {
        arr[k] = L[i];
        i++;
        k++;
    }
    while (j < n2) {
        arr[k] = R[j];
        j++;
        k++;
    }
}

void mergeSort(int arr[], int left, int right) {
    if (left < right) {
        int mid = left + (right - left) / 2;
        
        // Sort first and second halves
        mergeSort(arr, left, mid);
        mergeSort(arr, mid + 1, right);
        
        // Merge sorted halves
        merge(arr, left, mid, right);
    }
}

void printArray(int arr[], int n) {
    for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) {
        cout << arr[i] << " ";
    }
    cout << endl;
}

int main() {
    int arr[] = {64, 34, 25, 12, 22, 11, 90};
    int n = sizeof(arr) / sizeof(arr[0]);
    
    cout << "Original array: ";
    printArray(arr, n);
    
    mergeSort(arr, 0, n - 1);
    
    cout << "Sorted array: ";
    printArray(arr, n);
    
    return 0;
}
Output
Original array: 64 34 25 12 22 11 90
Sorted array: 11 12 22 25 34 64 90

Understanding Merge Sort

Merge Sort is a divide-and-conquer algorithm that divides the array into two halves, sorts them, and merges them. Time Complexity: O(n log n) in all cases. Space Complexity: O(n). It's stable and guarantees O(n log n) performance, making it reliable for large datasets.

Note: To write and run C++ programs, you need to set up the local environment on your computer. Refer to the complete article Setting up C++ Development Environment. If you do not want to set up the local environment on your computer, you can also use online IDE to write and run your C++ programs.

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