Merge Sort Problems
Problem 1.1:
In the course of a merge sort on a 64 element list, how many times must
the list be split?
[Solution]
Problem 1.2:
Consider the following pairs of lists:
- A. (3, 5, 7, 9) and (2, 4, 6, 8)
- B. (1, 2, 3, 4) and (5, 6, 7, 8)
Which pair is more efficiently merged?
[Solution]
Problem 1.3:
Below is an 8 element list that has been broken down into 8 one element
lists. Show the merging of the lists to form and ordered list.
(6), (3), (8), (2), (9), (1), (5), (7)
[Solution]
Problem 1.4:
The list above required 7 merges to be sorted. In general, how many merges
will be performed in an n element list (for the sake of simplicity, assume
that n is a power of 2)?
[Solution]
