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What's the fastest way to alphabetize your bookshelf? - Chand John

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8,302 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

You work at the college library. You’re in the middle of a quiet afternoon when suddenly, a shipment of 1,280 books arrives. The books are in a straight line, but they're all out of order, and the automatic sorting system is broken. How can you sort the books quickly? Chand John shows how, shedding light on how algorithms help librarians and search engines speedily sort information.

In which sorting algorithm did we choose partition books repeatedly to divide up the line into progressively smaller sub-lines?

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Chand John
  • Director Anton Trofimov
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Narrator Pen-Pen Chen

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