Grokking Algorithms, Second Edition

2 Selection sort

In this chapter

• You learn about arrays and linked lists—two of the most basic data structures. They’re used absolutely everywhere. You already used arrays in chapter 1, and you’ll use them in almost every chapter in this book. Arrays are a crucial topic, so pay attention! But sometimes it’s better to use a linked list instead of an array. This chapter explains the pros and cons of both so you can decide which one is right for your algorithm.
• You learn your first sorting algorithm. A lot of algorithms only work if your data is sorted. Remember binary search? You can run binary search only on a sorted list of elements. This chapter teaches you selection sort. Most languages have a sorting algorithm built in, so you’ll rarely need ...