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Stable sorting algorithms maintain the relative order of records with equal keys (i.e. values). That is, a sorting algorithm is stable if whenever there are two records R and S with the same key and with R appearing before S in the original list, R will appear before S in the sorted list.
When they are sorted with a non-stable sort, the 5s may end up in the opposite order in the sorted output. Stable sort algorithms sort equal elements in the same order that they appear in the input. For example, in the card sorting example to the right, the cards are being sorted by their rank, and their suit is being ignored.
Timsort is a stable sorting algorithm (order of elements with same key is kept) and strives to perform balanced merges (a merge thus merges runs of similar sizes). In order to achieve sorting stability, only consecutive runs are merged. Between two non-consecutive runs, there can be an element with the same key inside the runs.
Selection sort can be implemented as a stable sort if, rather than swapping in step 2, the minimum value is inserted into the first position and the intervening values shifted up. However, this modification either requires a data structure that supports efficient insertions or deletions, such as a linked list, or it leads to performing Θ ( n 2 ...
For example, addresses could be sorted using the city as primary sort key, and the street as secondary sort key. If the sort key values are totally ordered, the sort key defines a weak order of the items: items with the same sort key are equivalent with respect to sorting. See also stable sorting. If different items have different sort key ...
In computer science, a stable sorting algorithm preserves the order of records with equal keys. In numerical analysis, a numerically stable algorithm avoids magnifying small errors. An algorithm is stable if the result produced is relatively insensitive to perturbations during computation.
English: An example of stable sorting on playing cards. When the cards are sorted by rank with a stable sort, the two 5s must remain in the same order in the sorted output that they were originally in. When they are sorted with a non-stable sort, the 5s may end up in the opposite order in the sorted output.
A graphical example of insertion sort. The partial sorted list (black) initially contains only the first element in the list. With each iteration one element (red) is removed from the "not yet checked for order" input data and inserted in-place into the sorted list. Insertion sort iterates, consuming one input element each repetition, and grows ...