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Understanding the Problem You are given a stack of integers, write a program to sort it. You could use another stack if needed. The top of the stack must point to the smallest element. The stack must be sorted in increasing order from the top of the stack to its bottom.
The solution idea is: we use another stack to maintain the sorted order of the elements. We pop each element from the input stack and push it to the temporary stack one by one till the popped element is greater than the top element of the temporary stack.
Assuming that the only data structure allowed here is the Stack, then you could use 2 Stacks.
Iterate until the original stack is empty and in each iteration, pop an element from the original stack, while the top element in the second stack is bigger than the removed element, pop the second stack and push it to the original stack. Now you can push the element you originally popped off the original stack to the second stack.
The time complexity of this approach is O(N^2).
C code to implement this algorithm would be (excuse my rusty C skills):
void SortStack(struct Stack * orig_stack)
{
struct Stack helper_stack;
while (!IsEmpty(orig_stack))
{
int element = Pop(orig_stack);
while (!IsEmpty(&helper_stack) && Top(&helper_stack) < element)
{
Push(orig_stack, Pop(&helper_stack));
}
Push(&helper_stack, element);
}
while (!IsEmpty(&helper_stack))
{
Push(orig_stack, Pop(&helper_stack));
}
}
Given those stack operations, you could write a recursive insertion sort.
void sort(stack s) {
if (!IsEmpty(s)) {
int x = Pop(s);
sort(s);
insert(s, x);
}
}
void insert(stack s, int x) {
if (!IsEmpty(s)) {
int y = Top(s);
if (x < y) {
Pop(s);
insert(s, x);
Push(s, y);
} else {
Push(s, x);
}
} else {
Push(s, x);
}
}
It can be done recursively using the same stack. O(n^2) I have coded it in C++ but the conversion to C is trivial. I just like templates and you did tag your question as C++
template<typename T>
void Insert(const T& element, Stack<T>& stack)
{
if(element > stack.Top())
{
T top = stack.Pop();
Insert(element, stack);
stack.Push(top);
}
else
{
stack.Push(element);
}
}
template<typename T>
void StackSort(Stack<T>& stack)
{
if(!stack.IsEmpty())
{
T top = stack.Pop();
StackSort(stack);
Insert(top, stack);
}
}
Edited to get my vote back! :))
Pancake sort is another interesting way to do this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancake_sorting#cite_note-4.
This should be the fastest way to implement a 3 stack sort. Time complexity is O(n log(n)). The goal is to end up with an ascending sequence as items are popped from a sorted stack. The origin for this method was using polyphase merge sort on old mainframe tape drives that could read backwards (to avoid rewind time), similar to stack due to writing forwards and reading backwards during the sort.
Wiki article for polyphase merge sort (using arrays):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyphase_merge_sort
Example C++ code for 3 stack polyphase sort, using pointers, a pointer as a stack pointer for each stack, and a pointer to the end of each run and the end of each stack. The run size pointer is used to keep track of when the run size increments or decrements mid stack. A descending sequence flag is used to keep track if sequences are descending or ascending as data is transferred between stacks. It is initialized at the start, and then alternates after every pair of runs is merged.
typedef unsigned int uint32_t;
static size_t fibtbl[48] =
{ 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5,
8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89,
144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597,
2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711, 28657,
46368, 75025, 121393, 196418, 317811, 514229,
832040, 1346269, 2178309, 3524578, 5702887, 9227465,
14930352, 24157817, 39088169, 63245986, 102334155, 165580141,
267914296, 433494437, 701408733,1134903170,1836311903,2971215073};
// binary search: return index of largest fib() <= n
size_t flfib(size_t n)
{
size_t lo = 0;
size_t hi = sizeof(fibtbl)/sizeof(fibtbl[0]);
while((hi - lo) > 1){
size_t i = (lo + hi)/2;
if(n < fibtbl[i]){
hi = i;
continue;
}
if(n > fibtbl[i]){
lo = i;
continue;
}
return i;
}
return lo;
}
// poly phase merge sort array using 3 arrays as stacks, a is source
uint32_t * ppmrg3s(uint32_t a[], uint32_t b[], uint32_t c[], size_t n)
{
if(n < 2)
return a;
uint32_t *asp = a; // a stack ptr
uint32_t *aer; // a end run
uint32_t *aes = a + n; // a end
uint32_t *bsp = b + n; // b stack ptr
uint32_t *ber; // b end run
uint32_t *bes = b + n; // b end
uint32_t *csp = c + n; // c stack ptr
uint32_t *ces = c + n; // c end
uint32_t *rsp = 0; // run size change stack ptr
size_t ars = 1; // run sizes
size_t brs = 1;
size_t scv = 0-1; // size change increment / decrement
bool dsf; // == 1 if descending sequence
{ // block for local variable scope
size_t f = flfib(n); // fibtbl[f+1] > n >= fibtbl[f]
dsf = ((f%3) == 0); // init compare flag
if(fibtbl[f] == n){ // if exact fibonacci size, move to b
for(size_t i = 0; i < fibtbl[f-1]; i++)
*(--bsp) = *(asp++);
} else { // else move to b, c
// update compare flag
dsf ^= (n - fibtbl[f]) & 1;
// move excess elements to b
aer = a + n - fibtbl[f];
while (asp < aer)
*(--bsp) = *(asp++);
// move dummy count elements to c
aer = a + fibtbl[f - 1];
while (asp < aer)
*(--csp) = *(asp++);
rsp = csp; // set run size change ptr
}
} // end local variable block
while(1){ // setup to merge pair of runs
if(asp == rsp){ // check for size count change
ars += scv; // (due to dummy run size == 0)
scv = 0-scv;
rsp = csp;
}
if(bsp == rsp){
brs += scv;
scv = 0-scv;
rsp = csp;
}
aer = asp + ars; // init end run ptrs
ber = bsp + brs;
while(1){ // merging pair of runs
if(dsf ^ (*asp <= *bsp)){ // if a <= b
*(--csp) = *(asp++); // move a to c
if(asp != aer) // if not end a run
continue; // continue back to compare
do // else move rest of b run to c
*(--csp) = *(bsp++);
while (bsp < ber);
break; // and break
} else { // else a > b
*(--csp) = *(bsp++); // move b to c
if(bsp != ber) // if not end b run
continue; // continue back to compare
do // else move rest of a run to c
*(--csp) = *(asp++);
while (asp < aer);
break; // and break
}
} // end merging pair of runs
dsf ^= 1; // toggle compare flag
if(bsp == bes){ // if b empty
if(asp == aes) // if a empty, done
break;
std::swap(bsp, csp); // swap b, c
std::swap(bes, ces);
brs += ars; // update run size
} else { // else b not empty
if(asp != aes) // if a not empty
continue; // continue back to setup next merge
std::swap(asp, csp); // swap a, c
std::swap(aes, ces);
ars += brs; // update run size
}
}
return csp; // return ptr to sorted array
}
Example java code for sorting using a custom stack class (xstack) that includes a swap function.
static final int[] FIBTBL =
{ 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5,
8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89,
144, 233, 377, 610, 987, 1597,
2584, 4181, 6765, 10946, 17711, 28657,
46368, 75025, 121393, 196418, 317811, 514229,
832040, 1346269, 2178309, 3524578, 5702887, 9227465,
14930352, 24157817, 39088169, 63245986, 102334155, 165580141,
267914296, 433494437, 701408733,1134903170,1836311903};
// return index of largest fib() <= n
static int flfib(int n)
{
int lo = 0;
int hi = 47;
while((hi - lo) > 1){
int i = (lo + hi)/2;
if(n < FIBTBL[i]){
hi = i;
continue;
}
if(n > FIBTBL[i]){
lo = i;
continue;
}
return i;
}
return lo;
}
// poly phase merge sort using 3 stacks
static void ppmrg3s(xstack a, xstack b, xstack c)
{
if(a.size() < 2)
return;
int ars = 1; // init run sizes
int brs = 1;
int asc = 0; // no size change
int bsc = 0;
int csc = 0;
int scv = 0-1; // size change value
boolean dsf; // == 1 if descending sequence
{ // block for local variable scope
int f = flfib(a.size()); // FIBTBL[f+1] > size >= FIBTBL[f]
dsf = ((f%3) == 0); // init compare flag
if(FIBTBL[f] == a.size()){ // if exact fibonacci size,
for (int i = 0; i < FIBTBL[f - 1]; i++) { // move to b
b.push(a.pop());
}
} else { // else move to b, c
// update compare flag
dsf ^= 1 == ((a.size() - FIBTBL[f]) & 1);
// i = excess run count
int i = a.size() - FIBTBL[f];
// j = dummy run count
int j = FIBTBL[f + 1] - a.size();
// move excess elements to b
do{
b.push(a.pop());
}while(0 != --i);
// move dummy count elements to c
do{
c.push(a.pop());
}while(0 != --j);
csc = c.size();
}
} // end block
while(true){ // setup to merge pair of runs
if(asc == a.size()){ // check for size count change
ars += scv; // (due to dummy run size == 0)
scv = 0-scv;
asc = 0;
csc = c.size();
}
if(bsc == b.size()){
brs += scv;
scv = 0-scv;
bsc = 0;
csc = c.size();
}
int arc = ars; // init run counters
int brc = brs;
while(true){ // merging pair of runs
if(dsf ^ (a.peek() <= b.peek())){
c.push(a.pop()); // move a to c
if(--arc != 0) // if not end a
continue; // continue back to compare
do{ // else move rest of b run to c
c.push(b.pop());
}while(0 != --brc);
break; // and break
} else {
c.push(b.pop()); // move b to c
if(0 != --brc) // if not end b
continue; // continue back to compare
do{ // else move rest of a run to c
c.push(a.pop());
}while(0 != --arc);
break; // and break
}
} // end merging pair of runs
dsf ^= true; // toggle compare flag
if(b.empty()){ // if end b
if(a.empty()) // if end a, done
break;
b.swap(c); // swap b, c
brs += ars;
if (0 == asc)
bsc = csc;
} else { // else not end b
if(!a.empty()) // if not end a
continue; // continue back to setup next merge
a.swap(c); // swap a, c
ars += brs;
if (0 == bsc)
asc = csc;
}
}
a.swap(c); // return sorted stack in a
}
The java custom stack class:
class xstack{
int []ar; // array
int sz; // size
int sp; // stack pointer
public xstack(int sz){ // constructor with size
this.ar = new int[sz];
this.sz = sz;
this.sp = sz;
}
public void push(int d){
this.ar[--sp] = d;
}
public int pop(){
return this.ar[sp++];
}
public int peek(){
return this.ar[sp];
}
public boolean empty(){
return sp == sz;
}
public int size(){
return sz-sp;
}
public void swap(xstack othr){
int []tempar = othr.ar;
int tempsz = othr.sz;
int tempsp = othr.sp;
othr.ar = this.ar;
othr.sz = this.sz;
othr.sp = this.sp;
this.ar = tempar;
this.sz = tempsz;
this.sp = tempsp;
}
}
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