Lower Bound on Sorting
When sorting n items, how
many different answers are
possible?
n!
How is an answer (typically)
determined?
Use comparisons
To sort a,b,c,...
Note: these represent
numbers in the original input
order
a:b
£
>
a:c
b:c
£
£
>
>
b:c
a:d
£
£
>
>
CS409 - Spring 2000
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