Re: [boost] Review Request: Algorithm.Sorting

Subject: Re: [boost] Review Request: Algorithm.Sorting
From: David Abrahams (dave_at_[hidden])
Date: 2009-04-28 13:27:40

on Mon Apr 27 2009, Steven Ross <spreadsort-AT-gmail.com> wrote:

> True worst-case has to be determined by determining the worst possible
> input, then feeding it to the algorithm.
> I believe I know what the real worst-case input is to this algorithm, and it
> will take O(n(bit_range/C - 1 + C)) time, where C is the smaller of
> MAX_SPLITS and (LOG_MEAN_BIN_SIZE + LOG_MIN_SPLIT_COUNT), and would take
> some effort to construct, like the Quicksort worst-case.  For 32-bit
> integers and the default constants I provide, C is 8, so it ends up being:
> n((32/8 -1) = 3 slow iterations + 8 std::sort iterations)).  Based upon the
> value of LOG_CONST and the distribution it can also give up and use
> std::sort, but only after n is cut into small pieces, so that the log(n)
> factor is small.
>
> What I am referring to is that I ran tests with randomness ranging from 0 to
> 32 bits, and I compared the worst, average, and best runtimes among those.
> Graphs are included in the libs/algorithm/sorting directory, linked to from
> the index.html.

Thanks for clarifying, that helps.

-- 
Dave Abrahams
BoostPro Computing
http://www.boostpro.com