Sorting and Searching

May 30, 2026 | 5 min read

QuickSort

def quicksort(arr: list[int]) -> list[int]:
    if len(arr) <= 1:
        return arr
    pivot = arr[len(arr) // 2]
    left = [x for x in arr if x < pivot]
    middle = [x for x in arr if x == pivot]
    right = [x for x in arr if x > pivot]
    return quicksort(left) + middle + quicksort(right)

Binary Search

def binary_search(arr: list[int], target: int) -> int:
    left, right = 0, len(arr) - 1
    while left <= right:
        mid = (left + right) // 2
        if arr[mid] == target:
            return mid
        elif arr[mid] < target:
            left = mid + 1
        else:
            right = mid - 1
    return -1

When to Use Built-ins

sorted() and list.sort() are C-implemented and already fast. Use Pyvorin for custom comparison logic or multi-key sorts.