A simulator for sorting algorithms

I have worked on simulating sorting process of two sorting algorithms. They are bubble sort and selection sort. Let me explain them a bit before giving you the resources.

Selection Sort

In computer science, a selection sort is a sorting algorithm, specifically an in-place comparison sort. It has O(n^2) time complexity, making it inefficient on large lists. Selection sort is noted for its simplicity, and also has performance advantages over more complicated algorithms in certain situations, particularly where auxiliary memory is limited.

The idea of algorithm is quite simple. Array is imaginary divided into two parts - sorted one and unsorted one. At the beginning, sorted part is empty, while unsorted one contains whole array. At every step, algorithm finds minimal element in the unsorted part and adds it to the end of the sorted one. When unsorted part becomes empty, algorithm stops.

When algorithm sorts an array, it swaps first element of unsorted part with minimal element and then it is included to the sorted part. This implementation of selection sort in not stable. In case of linked list is sorted, and, instead of swaps, minimal element is linked to the unsorted part, selection sort is stable.

Let us see an example of sorting an array to make the idea of selection sort clearer.

array unsorted = {5,23,34,87,56,42}

array unsorted = {5,23,34,42,56,87}

Bubble Sort

bubble sort is a simple sorting algorithm that works by repeatedly stepping through the list to be sorted, comparing each pair of adjacent items and swapping them if they are in the wrong order. The pass through the list is repeated until no swaps are needed, which indicates that the list is sorted. The algorithm gets its name from the way smaller elements "bubble" Javato the top of the list. Because it only uses comparisons to operate on elements, it is a comparison sort. Although the algorithm is simple, most of the other sorting algorithms are more efficient for large lists.

steps

1. Compare each pair of adjacent elements from the beginning of an array and, if they are in reversed order, swap them.
2. If at least one swap has been done, repeat step 1.

You can imagine that on every step big bubbles float to the surface and stay there. At the step, when no bubble moves, sorting stops. Let us see an example of sorting an array to make the idea of bubble sort clearer.

I have simulated this process to show the steps one by one using a java applet. the code is fully commented, so it would be easy for you to understand.

download the source code from here