Sorting algorithm
algorithm that puts elements of a list in a certain order
A sorting algorithm is an algorithm that puts the elements of a collection into a certain order. Most commonly, numbers are sorted by their value, and words are sorted by their alphabetical order (as they would appear in a dictionary or phone book). Efficient sorting is important for other things: finding an element in a sorted collection is easier, and merging a new element may also be easier if the collection is sorted.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Sorting_stability_playing_cards.svg/220px-Sorting_stability_playing_cards.svg.png)
Note that not all sorting algorithms can be applied in all cases. An example might be that the records can only be read one after another (sequentially); they might be stored on a tape.