Welcome back to our OCR GCSE Computer Science (J277) revision series! Today, we are conquering Unit 2.2: Sorting Algorithms. Using our interactive algorithm visualizer, we will break down exactly how computers sort data and how to score full marks on trace questions in Paper 2.
We will cover:
- Bubble Sort: The "slow but simple" algorithm. How it compares adjacent pairs, bubbles the largest values to the end, and why you must count your passes.
- Insertion Sort: How it works like sorting a hand of cards, and the crucial exam trick of identifying the "sorted" and "unsorted" partitions.
- Merge Sort: The highly efficient "Divide and Conquer" approach (Divide, Conquer, Combine) and why it beats the others on large datasets.
- Challenge Zone: We switch to Examiner Audit Mode to live-mark classic exam trace questions, including a 4-mark Merge Sort trace and an Insertion Sort trace.
