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Sorting 13 Elements Requires 34 Comparisons

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Algorithms — ESA 2002 (ESA 2002)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 2461))

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Abstract

We prove that sorting 13 elements requires 34 comparisons. This solves a long-standing problem posed by D.E.Knuth in his famous book The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 3, Sorting and Searching The result is due to an efficient implementation of an algorithm for counting linear extensions of a given partial order. We present also some useful heuristics which allowed us to decrease the running time of the implementation.

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References

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© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Peczarski, M. (2002). Sorting 13 Elements Requires 34 Comparisons. In: Möhring, R., Raman, R. (eds) Algorithms — ESA 2002. ESA 2002. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2461. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45749-6_68

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-45749-6_68

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-44180-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-45749-7

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