Merge sort: split, then merge sorted halves
An array of eight values is recursively divided into halves until single elements remain, then pairs are merged back together into progressively larger sorted runs. Each merge level is shown clearly, highlighting how the array height (log n levels) combines with the linear work per level (n comparisons) to produce the overall O(n log n) time complexity. Useful for students learning divide-and-conquer algorithms and complexity analysis.
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The prompt that made it
Eight values split down to single elements, then merged back up level by level into sorted runs; log n levels of n work gives O(n log n).
Make the next one in this series
- Compare merge sort's O(n log n) growth visually against quicksort and bubble sort on the same array.
- Show how merge sort performs on an already sorted array versus a reverse sorted array.
- Animate the merge step alone, showing how two sorted subarrays combine using pointer comparisons.
