Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
Problem Statement
2.1.
Sample Examples
3.
Approach Using Inbuilt method
3.1.
Algorithm
3.2.
Implementation in JavaScript
3.2.1.
Time Complexity
3.2.2.
Space Complexity
4.
Approach without Using Inbuilt method
4.1.
Bubble sort
4.2.
Selection sort
4.3.
Insertion sort
4.4.
Time complexity
5.
Frequently Asked Questions
5.1.
Which sorting algorithm does the javascript sort function use?
5.2.
Is javascript sort() fast?
5.3.
Why is sorting required?
6.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024
Easy

Sort an Array with and without inbuilt methods

Author Abhishek Nayak
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Introduction

Data structure and Algorithms are one of the most important topics to understand. In this blog, we will take a quick look at the problem statement and discuss how to Sort an Array with and without inbuilt methods and then discuss its complexities.

Problem Statement

We are given an array of numbers and we need to arrange them in ascending order i.e., a smaller number followed by a higher number.

Sample Examples

Example

Input

Array

 

Output

 

Explanation: The sorted array in the ascending order would be: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4

Approach Using Inbuilt method

In this approach, we will sort an array using inbuilt methods available in javascript.

We are provided with an inbuilt sort() function in javascript. It makes our work easier just by calling the function and the number then gets arranged in ascending order and we print the result.

Algorithm

Procedure sorting() function:

  • Declare an array of numbers
  • call numbers.sort() function
  • print the result using console.log(numbers)
  • end procedure

Implementation in JavaScript

let numbers = [0, 3, 2, 1, 4 ];
numbers.sort();
console.log(numbers);
You can also try this code with Online Javascript Compiler
Run Code


Output

[0, 1, 2, 3, 4]


Time Complexity

The time complexity of the above approach is O(n*log(n)), where n is the number of elements in the array.

Space Complexity

The complexity of the above approach will be O(1), as no extra space is used.

Also see, Array in Python

Approach without Using Inbuilt method

It’s quite easy to use the inbuilt sort function right? But What if in some scenario you are not allowed to use the inbuilt method to sort the array? In that case, you have to write the sorting algorithm by yourself. We have plenty of Sorting algorithms available like the bubble sort, insertion sort, selection sort, and many more. Also, the sort method available in many programming languages uses one of these sorting algorithms under the hood. So, Let’s discuss them one by one.

Bubble sort

Bubble sort is one of the most straightforward sorting algorithms that involve repeatedly swapping adjacent elements for the correct order.

We traverse the whole array checking whether the next element from the current index is greater or not. If it is greater than the current element we swap both of the elements. We keep on repeating this process until our array is sorted.
 

Algorithm

BubbleSort(arr)
   for i->0 to arr.size():
      if arr[i] > arr[i+1]
         swap(arr[i], arr[i+1])
      end if
   end for
return arr

 

Implementation in JavaScript

arr = [5, 2, 7, 1, 0]

function bubbleSort(arr){
    for (let i = 0; i < arr.length - 1; i++){

        let swapped = false

        for (let j = 0; j < arr.length - i - 1; j++){
            // swapping the elements
            if (arr[j] > arr[j+1]){
                let temp = arr[j]
                arr[j] = arr[j+1]
                arr[j+1] = temp
                swapped = true
            }
        }

        // if no elements are swapped
        // that means our array is sorted
        if(!swapped) break;
    }

    return arr
}

console.log("Before sorting: ", arr)
console.log("After sorting: ", bubbleSort(arr))
You can also try this code with Online Javascript Compiler
Run Code


Output

Before sorting:  [0, 3, 2, 1, 4 ]
After sorting:  [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]


Also read, Array in Javascript

Selection sort

The selection sort method sorts an array by repeatedly selecting the smallest element from the unsorted portion and inserting it at the beginning.  In a given array, the method maintains two subarrays.

  • Already sorted.
     
  • Not sorted subarray.
     

Every time a selection sort is performed, the smallest element from the unsorted subarray is chosen and moved to the sorted subarray.
 

Algorithm

selectionSort(arr):
    for i <- 0 to arr.length - 1:
        minIndex <- i
        for j <- i+1 to arr.length:
            if arr[minIndex] > arr[j]:
                minIndex <- j
            end if
        end for

        swap(arr[minIndex], arr[i])
    end for
return arr

 

Implementation in JavaScript

arr = [5, 2, 7, 1, 0]

function selectionSort(arr) {

    for (let i = 0; i < arr.length-1; i++){

        // Finding the minimum element
        let minIndex = i;
        for (let j = i + 1; j < arr.length; j++){
            if (arr[j] < arr[minIndex]) minIndex = j;
        }
 
        // Swapping the minimum element with the first element
        let temp = arr[minIndex]
        arr[minIndex] = arr[i]
        arr[i] = temp
    }

    return arr
}

console.log("Before sorting: ", arr)
console.log("After sorting: ", selectionSort(arr))
You can also try this code with Online Javascript Compiler
Run Code

 

Output

Before sorting:  [0, 3, 2, 1, 4 ]
After sorting:  [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]

 

Also Read - Selection Sort in C

Insertion sort

The straightforward sorting algorithm known as insertion sort functions similarly to how you would arrange playing cards in your hands. In a sense, the array is divided into sorted and unsorted parts. Values are chosen and assigned to the appropriate positions in the sorted part of the array from the unsorted part.

Algorithm

insertionSort(arr):
    for i <- 1 to arr.length:
        key <- arr[i]
        j <- i - 1

        while j >= 0 and arr[j] < key:
            arr[j+1] <- arr[j]
            j = j+1
        end while

        arr[j+1] <- key    
    end for

return arr


Implementation in JavaScript

arr = [5, 2, 7, 1, 0];

function insertionSort(arr) {

    for (let i = 1; i < arr.length; i++) {
        let key = arr[i];
        let j = i - 1;

        // Moving elements of arr[0..i-1], that are  
        // greater than key, to one position ahead  
        while (j >= 0 && arr[j] > key) {
            arr[j + 1] = arr[j];
            j = j - 1;
        }

        arr[j + 1] = key;

    }

    return arr

}

console.log("Before sorting: ", arr);
console.log("After sorting: ", insertionSort(arr));
You can also try this code with Online Javascript Compiler
Run Code

 

Output

Before sorting:  [0, 3, 2, 1, 4 ]
After sorting:  [0, 1, 2, 3, 4]

Time complexity

Time complexities

There are many more sorting algorithm available that you can use like merge sort, quick sort, heap sort, counting sort, radix sort, and many more!

Read More - Time Complexity of Sorting Algorithms

Refer to know about :  Topological sort

Frequently Asked Questions

Which sorting algorithm does the javascript sort function use?

The sorting function varies from engine to engine. Mostly, it uses quicksort or insertion sort.
 

Is javascript sort() fast?

Yes, the javascript sort function is faster. It takes the most suitable path to sort the array.
 

Why is sorting required?

The sorted array makes the work done faster and in a much easier way. By default, the array gets sorted in ascending order.

Conclusion

In this article, we have extensively discussed a coding problem on how to Sort an Array with and without inbuilt methods and then discussed its complexities.

We hope this blog has helped you enhance your knowledge about the above question. If you would like to learn more, check out our articles See Time Complexity and AnalysisSorting Based ProblemsNumber Theory, and Dynamic Programing to learn.

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