Which of the following is not a stable sorting algorithm ?

The correct answer is Selection sort.

Key Points

• Selection sort is not a stable sorting algorithm.
• In a stable sorting algorithm, the relative order of equal elements is preserved.
• Selection sort does not guarantee that the relative order of equal elements will be maintained.
• This is because Selection sort works by repeatedly finding the minimum element and moving it to the correct position, which can disrupt the order of equal elements.

Additional Information

• Insertion sort, Bubble sort, and Merge sort are stable sorting algorithms.
• Insertion sort maintains the relative order of equal elements by inserting elements into their correct position without changing the order of equal elements.
• Bubble sort preserves the relative order of equal elements by repeatedly swapping adjacent elements to move larger elements to the end of the list.
• Merge sort maintains the relative order of equal elements by dividing the list into halves, sorting each half, and then merging the sorted halves while preserving the order of equal elements.