A WEB-BASED ALGORITHM ANALYSIS TOOL - An Online Laboratory for Conducting Sorting Experiments

James TenEyck

2005

Abstract

In this paper, an on-line laboratory is described in which students can test theoretical analyses of the run-time efficiency of common sorting algorithms. The laboratory contains an applet that allows students to select an algorithm with a type of data distribution and sample size and view the number of compares required to sort a particular instance of that selection. It provides worksheets for tabulating the results of a sequence of experiments and for entering qualitative and quantitative observations about the results. It also contains a second applet that directly measures the goodness of fit of recorded data with common functions such as cn2 and cn(lg(n)). The laboratory is intended to reinforce classroom learning activities and other homework assignments with a practical demonstration of the performance of a variety of sorting algorithms on different kinds of data sets. It is a singular on-line tool that complements other online learning tools such as animations of various sorting algorithms and visualizations of self-adjusting data structures. The laboratory has been used in algorithms courses taught by the author at Marist College and Vassar, and is available on-line for use by a more general audience.

References

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  2. Collins, W., 1991. Estimating Execution Times: A Laboratory Exercise for CS2. SIGSCE Bulletin, pp 358-363, Vol23, No. 1, March 1991.
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Paper Citation


in Harvard Style

TenEyck J. (2005). A WEB-BASED ALGORITHM ANALYSIS TOOL - An Online Laboratory for Conducting Sorting Experiments . In Proceedings of the First International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies - Volume 1: WEBIST, ISBN 972-8865-20-1, pages 485-489. DOI: 10.5220/0001233304850489


in Bibtex Style

@conference{webist05,
author={James TenEyck},
title={A WEB-BASED ALGORITHM ANALYSIS TOOL - An Online Laboratory for Conducting Sorting Experiments},
booktitle={Proceedings of the First International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies - Volume 1: WEBIST,},
year={2005},
pages={485-489},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0001233304850489},
isbn={972-8865-20-1},
}


in EndNote Style

TY - CONF
JO - Proceedings of the First International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies - Volume 1: WEBIST,
TI - A WEB-BASED ALGORITHM ANALYSIS TOOL - An Online Laboratory for Conducting Sorting Experiments
SN - 972-8865-20-1
AU - TenEyck J.
PY - 2005
SP - 485
EP - 489
DO - 10.5220/0001233304850489