Presorting algorithms: An average-case point of view

We introduce the concept of presorting algorithms, quantifying and evaluating the performance of such algorithms with the average reduction in number of inversions. Stages of well-known algorithms such as Shellsort and quicksort are evaluated in such a framework and shown to cause a meaning drop in the inversion statistic. The expected value, variance and generating function for the decrease in number of inversions are computed. The possibility of “presorting” a sorting algorithm is also investigated under a similar framework. c © 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved