Gnome Sort
- Ω( n )
- Θ( n2 )
- O( n2 )
- space O( 1 )
Array
Comparator strip
Index down, time to the right
- Comparisons count only element-against-element checks; loop and index checks are never counted.
- Reads and writes include reads and writes to helper buffers (merge, counting, radix, bucket and tim sort).
- A swap counts once, as a swap. It is never also counted as a read or a write.
- Real time is the average time of the counted sort on this device over repeated runs, measured once before playback and independent of animation speed. Visual time is the time spent animating, excluding pauses.
How gnome sort works
Gnome sort walks along the array like a garden gnome sorting flower pots. If the current element is in order with the one before it, the gnome steps forward. Otherwise it swaps them and steps back.
Read more
It needs no nested loops, only a single position, and behaves like insertion sort with swaps instead of shifts. It is simple but slow: O(n²) comparisons on average.
| Best time | Ω( n ) | good |
|---|---|---|
| Average time | Θ( n2 ) | poor |
| Worst time | O( n2 ) | poor |
| Worst space | O( 1 ) | good |
Big O notation gives the lower, average and upper bounds of an algorithm. Time complexity bounds the number of operations; space complexity bounds the extra memory it uses.