The Mathematics Enthusiast Volume 16 Article 15 Number 1 Numbers 1, 2, & 3 2-2019 A Mathematical Analysis of Student-Generated Sorting Algorithms Audrey Nasar Let us know how access to this document benefits ouy . Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/tme Recommended Citation Nasar, Audrey (2019) "A Mathematical Analysis of Student-Generated Sorting Algorithms," The Mathematics Enthusiast: Vol. 16 : No. 1 , Article 15. Available at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/tme/vol16/iss1/15 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Mathematics Enthusiast by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. TME, vol. 16, nos.1, 2&3, p. 315 A Mathematical Analysis of student-generated sorting algorithms Audrey A. Nasar1 Borough of Manhattan Community College at the City University of New York Abstract: Sorting is a process we encounter very often in everyday life. Additionally it is a fundamental operation in computer science. Having been one of the first intensely studied problems in computer science, many different sorting algorithms have been developed and analyzed. Although algorithms are often taught as part of the computer science curriculum in the context of a programming language, the study of algorithms and algorithmic thinking, including the design, construction and analysis of algorithms, has pedagogical value in mathematics education. This paper will provide an introduction to computational complexity and efficiency, without the use of a programming language. It will also describe how these concepts can be incorporated into the existing high school or undergraduate mathematics curriculum through a mathematical analysis of student- generated sorting algorithms.