The issue of sorting large arrays and the associated problem of searching such large arrays is a computer science challenge of extreme importance. Just think of the numerous situations where a quick search of a data bank is so crucial in today's information society. There are several sophisticated methods used to search a long array in the shortest possible time. Think about how you locate the name of your friend in the phone book. Usually we are very quick when we do this, but can we describe the procedure we follow in detail, so that we can program a machine to do the same thing?

The text file attached to the link below gives a very simple procedure for ordering an array. This is the simplest thing one can do. Try to understand it. More sophisticated versions are inevitably variations of the simple procedures.