Related papers: Lower Bounds for Sorting 16, 17, and 18 Elements
We show that any quantum algorithm searching an ordered list of n elements needs to examine at least 1/12 log n-O(1) of them. Classically, log n queries are both necessary and sufficient. This shows that quantum algorithms can achieve only…
We determine the maximal number of steps required to sort $n$ labeled points on a circle by adjacent swaps. Lower bounds for sorting by all swaps, not necessarily adjacent, are given as well.
We show that several versions of Floyd and Rivest's algorithm Select for finding the $k$th smallest of $n$ elements require at most $n+\min\{k,n-k\}+o(n)$ comparisons on average and with high probability. This rectifies the analysis of…
We consider the fundamental problem of internally sorting a sequence of $n$ elements. In its best theoretical setting QuickMergesort, a combination Quicksort with Mergesort with a Median-of-$\sqrt{n}$ pivot selection, requires at most $n…
We consider the problem of sorting $n$ elements subject to persistent random comparison errors. In this problem, each comparison between two elements can be wrong with some fixed (small) probability $p$, and comparing the same pair of…
A neat 1972 result of Pohl asserts that [3n/2]-2 comparisons are sufficient, and also necessary in the worst case, for finding both the minimum and the maximum of an n-element totally ordered set. The set is accessed via an oracle for…
We consider the problem of summarizing a multi set of elements in $\{1, 2, \ldots , n\}$ under the constraint that no element appears more than $\ell$ times. The goal is then to answer \emph{rank} queries --- given $i\in\{1, 2, \ldots ,…
The sorting number of a graph with $n$ vertices is the minimum depth of a sorting network with $n$ inputs and outputs that uses only the edges of the graph to perform comparisons. Many known results on sorting networks can be stated in…
We propose an explanation of the structure of the best known sorting networks for 16 elements with respect to the complexity and to the depth due to Green and van Voorhis.
Sorting a set of items is a task that can be useful by itself or as a building block for more complex operations. The more sophisticated and fast sorting algorithms become asymptotically, the less efficient they are for small sets of items…
A matching on a set $X$ is a collection of pairwise disjoint subsets of $X$ of size two. Using computers, we analyze the integral homology of the matching complex $M_n$, which is the simplicial complex of matchings on the set $\{1, >...,…
Consider a matrix $A$ of rank $n$ that approximates the $N\times N$ identity matrix with elementwise error at most $1/3$. We give a lower bound on the number of elements s.t. $|A_{i,j}|>\gamma$, for a certain threshold. Two corollaries are…
Sorting is a foundational problem in computer science that is typically employed on sequences or total orders. More recently, a more general form of sorting on partially ordered sets (or posets), where some pairs of elements are…
Sorting networks are oblivious sorting algorithms with many practical applications and rich theoretical properties. Propositional encodings of sorting networks are a key tool for proving concrete bounds on the minimum number of comparators…
We continue the study of Adin, Alon and Roichman [arXiv:2502.14398, 2025] on the number of steps required to sort $n$ labelled points on a circle by transpositions. Imagine that the vertices of a cycle of length $n$ are labelled by the…
A long-standing open question in the algorithms and complexity literature is whether there exist sorting circuits of size $o(n \log n)$. A recent work by Asharov, Lin, and Shi (SODA'21) showed that if the elements to be sorted have short…
We solve a 40-year-old open problem on the depth optimality of sorting networks. In 1973, Donald E. Knuth detailed, in Volume 3 of "The Art of Computer Programming", sorting networks of the smallest depth known at the time for n =< 16…
We investigate the problem of determining a set S of k indistinguishable integers in the range [1,n]. The algorithm is allowed to query an integer $q\in [1,n]$, and receive a response comparing this integer to an integer randomly chosen…
This paper proves the minimum size of a supersequence over a set of eight elements is 52. This disproves a conjecture that the lower bound of the supersequence is the partial sum of the geometric Connell sequence. By studying the internal…
We prove a lower and an upper bound on the number of block moves necessary to sort a permutation. We put our results in contrast with existing results on sorting by block transpositions, and raise some open questions.