Dayan Petrov Undergraduate Dissertation 2016/17

Visualisation of Sorting Algorithms

Supervised by D.Sudholt

Abstract

The report aims to serve as an introduction to sorting algorithms and to present the ideas, the design and the technology used for the implementation of a software in JavaScript capable of visualising sorting processes. The software takes advantage of the latest JavaScript technology for creating optimized CPU and battery-friendly web animations known as requestAnimationFrame(). The web application is highly interactive and equipped with powerful tools for visualising the sorting approaches covered in COM1009 Introduction to Algorithms and Data Structures. The software is able to compare the performance of different sorting algorithms on large inputs based on number of comparisons and swaps, distance traveled and time required to execute.