Thread: Sorting in Java:

I have been looking around and I cannot seem to find which algorithm java uses for its sort method. Merge, sort etc.

While I am on the topic BinaryTree is a balanced heap right?

Are there any libraries for depth or breath first search?

Is the ArrayList a double linked list?

These sound like test or homework questions. Answers are out there for you to find, and I don't think it would take much effort.

If you want to find what sort algorithm Java uses, read the source code.

Search libraries? What did you find when you searched for them?

ArrayList a doubly linked list? What did you learn when you read the ArrayList API or the ArrayList source code?

No it has nothing to do with homework. I am learning Java on my own. I most familiar with C++ in which you are able to easily call certain sorting function. When I looked at Java tutorials it just showed me examples of how to do merge or quick sort which I am not interested in. I already know how to implement them, it deciding which one to use with an easy access library or method was my question.

I am sure people come here often for answers to the test so I understand your initial impression.

The answer is that you should not care what kind of sorting algorithm is used. Its possibly changing with every java update.
What is important is that the time needed for the sorts is no slower then O(n * log n).

By the way, if you read the documentation it will tell you that:

The sorting algorithm is a modified mergesort (in which the merge is omitted if the highest element in the low sublist is less than the lowest element in the high sublist). This algorithm offers guaranteed n log(n) performance. This implementation dumps the specified list into an array, sorts the array, and iterates over the list resetting each element from the corresponding position in the array. This avoids the n2 log(n) performance that would result from attempting to sort a linked list in place.

Not caring what it is doing is like not caring about how efficient your program is. Granted computers are very fast now and therefore I see where the habit of just looking at the Big O has become the norm. However it would be nice to understand what is going on under the hood and having the choice of which method of sorting I choose to use.

If you want to choose the method yourself dont use the standard library. It does not give you any choice.
If your application needs that tiny little bit of performance that much that then you should write the sorting algorithm yourself anyways.