Insertion Sort
This is an in-place comparison-based sorting algorithm. Here, a sub-list is maintained
which is always sorted. For example, the lower part of an array is maintained to be sorted.
An element which is to be 'insert'ed in this sorted sub-list, has to find its appropriate place
and then it has to be inserted there. Hence the name, insertion sort.
The array is searched sequentially and unsorted items are moved and inserted into the
sorted sub-list (in the same array). This algorithm is not suitable for large data sets as its
average and worst case complexity are of Ο(n2), where n is the number of items.
How Insertion Sort Works?
We take an unsorted array for our example.
Insertion sort compares the first two elements.
It finds that both 14 and 33 are already in ascending order. For now, 14 is in sorted sub-
list.
Insertion sort moves ahead and compares 33 with 27.
And finds that 33 is not in the correct position.
It swaps 33 with 27. It also checks with all the elements of sorted sub-list. Here we see that
the sorted sub-list has only one element 14, and 27 is greater than 14. Hence, the sorted
sub-list remains sorted after swapping.
By now we have 14 and 27 in the sorted sub-list. Next, it compares 33 with 10.
These values are not in a sorted order.
So we swap them.
However, swapping makes 27 and 10 unsorted.
Hence, we swap them too.
Again we find 14 and 10 in an unsorted order.
We swap them again. By the end of third iteration, we have a sorted sub-list of 4 items.
This process goes on until all the unsorted values are covered in a sorted sub-list. Now we
shall see some programming aspects of insertion sort.
Algorithm
Now we have a bigger picture of how this sorting technique works, so we can derive simple
steps by which we can achieve insertion sort.
Step 1 − If it is the first element, it is already sorted. return 1;
Step 2 − Pick next element
Step 3 − Compare with all elements in the sorted sub-list
Step 4 − Shift all the elements in the sorted sub-list that is greater than the
value to be sorted
Step 5 − Insert the value
Step 6 − Repeat until list is sorted
Pseudocode
procedure insertionSort( A : array of items )
int holePosition
int valueToInsert
for i = 1 to length(A) inclusive do:
/* select value to be inserted */
valueToInsert = A[i]
holePosition = i
/*locate hole position for the element to be inserted */
while holePosition > 0 and A[holePosition-1] > valueToInsert do:
A[holePosition] = A[holePosition-1]
holePosition = holePosition -1
end while
/* insert the number at hole position */
A[holePosition] = valueToInsert
end for
end procedure
