Computing Atlas

How Computing Was Built
Concepts

Quicksort

Also Known As Partition-Exchange Sort
Algorithm

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Quicksort is an efficient general purpose sorting algorithm developed in 1959 by Tony Hoare while he was a visiting student at Moscow State University. It works by choosing a pivot element, partitioning the rest into items smaller and larger than the pivot, and sorting the two parts recursively; on average it takes O(n log n) comparisons to sort n items, and for decades it has been the practical sorting workhorse of standard libraries.

Facts
Origin Year
1959 1
Core Principle
Pick a pivot, split everything else into smaller and larger, and sort each side the same way; the recursion does the rest. 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

Merge Sort, Concepts

In Field

Invented By

Tony Hoare, Pioneers
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Quicksort
Wikimedia FoundationIntroduction, History and Formal analysis sections
Quote, Introduction, History and Formal analysis sections
The quicksort algorithm was developed in 1959 by Tony Hoare while he was a visiting student at Moscow State University.
View the Source
1. Wikipedia: Quicksort
Wikimedia FoundationFormal analysis section
Quote, Formal analysis section
On average, the algorithm takes O(n log n) comparisons to sort n items.
View the Source
1. Wikipedia: Quicksort
Wikimedia FoundationInvented By: Tony Hoare, History section
Quote, Invented By: Tony Hoare, History section
The quicksort algorithm was developed in 1959 by Tony Hoare while he was a visiting student at Moscow State University.
View the Source
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