Binary Tree Sort

Abstract

All the sorts that have so far been discussed have treated the input list as a linear succession of elements. Although they have achieved reasonable speeds their sort times will always be dependent on n ~2 and this has made some of them extremely slow and hence of little use for any large values of n. The next few chapters cover several sorts that impose a structure on the input list. As a result of this structure the lists are treated as a non-linear succession of elements. By treating the input list as non-linear it is possible to cut down on the number of comparisons and exchanges that need to be carried out to sort. Non-linear in this instance means that the list is accessed non-sequentially, that is not one item after another, necessarily.