Sorting is a basic building block that many other algorithms are built upon. It’s related to several exciting ideas that you’ll see throughout your programming career. Understanding how sorting algorithms in Python work behind the scenes is a fundamental step toward implementing correct and efficient algorithms that solve real-world problems.

In this course, you’ll learn:

How different sorting algorithms in Python work and how they compare under different circumstances
How Python’s built-in sort functionality works behind the scenes
How different computer science concepts like recursion and divide and conquer apply to sorting
What Big O notation is and how to use it to compare the efficiency of different algorithms

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00:00 Hi, and welcome to this Real Python video tutorial course on sorting algorithms in Python. Over the duration of this course, you’re going to learn about what sorting means in a programming context—so, how is it different from when I say something like “I’m going to sort my mail” or something like that?

00:17 You’ll learn why sorting techniques are such an integral part of any programmer’s toolbox, and you’ll hopefully be convinced to use them whenever possible and useful.

00:26 You’ll learn some common sorting algorithms and how they’re implemented in Python. And finally, you’ll learn how to evaluate and compare the performance of different algorithms. And when I say performance, I generally mean how long does the algorithm take to run—the runtime—and how much memory space does the algorithm need in order to function?

00:45 And that’s sometimes called space complexity or space usage or something like that. So, let’s jump in and get started by talking about why sorting is such an important piece of a programmer’s arsenal.

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Introduction to Sorting Algorithms in Python (Overview)