(definition)
Definition: Any sort algorithm which uses exclusively main memory during the sort. This assumes high-speed random access to all memory.
See also external sort, quicksort, insertion sort.
Note: Although virtual memory may hide the use of disk, an internal sort is written as if all memory is equally accessible. From Algorithms and Theory of Computation Handbook, page 3-23, Copyright © 1999 by CRC Press LLC. Appearing in the Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering and Technology, Copyright © 2000 CRC Press LLC.
Author: CRC-A
If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments, please get in touch with Paul Black.
Entry modified 17 December 2004.
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Cite this as:
Algorithms and Theory of Computation Handbook, CRC Press LLC, 1999, "internal sort", in
Dictionary of Algorithms and Data Structures [online], Vreda Pieterse and Paul E. Black, eds. 17 December 2004. (accessed TODAY)
Available from: http://www.nist.gov/dads/HTML/internalsort.html