Computing Atlas

How Computing Was Built
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Algorithm

Graham Scan Algorithm

Computational Geometry Algorithm

Graham's scan is a method for finding the convex hull of a finite set of points in the plane, the smallest convex polygon containing every point. It first sorts the points by angle from the lowest point, then walks around them in that order using a stack to detect and discard any point that would create a concavity in the boundary, leaving only the vertices of the hull in order around its perimeter. It is named after Ronald Graham, who published the original algorithm in 1972. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Time Complexity
O(n log n). 1
Credited To
Ronald Graham, 1972. 1
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Graham Scan Algorithm
Wikimedia FoundationLead section
Quote, Lead section
It is named after Ronald Graham, who published the original algorithm in 1972.
View the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.