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What different sorting algorithms sound like

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Re: What different sorting algorithms sound like

#22

Disclaimer: sorting algorithms can sound like just about anything, depending which parameters you map to which sounds. This is just a simple example of data sonification, albeit with some nice visualisation too, and a subject matter which appeals to the computer scientists in the room.

I thought the values to be sorted would be the amplitude of the sound wave, and the value currently touched by the algorithm would be played in each step.

Of course you could still pick arbitrary values and arbitrary start orderings.

Re: What different sorting algorithms sound like

#25
post #18

This makes me want to sort something. The loose change strewn all over my desk. The contents of my fridge. The words on this page. Anything.

Anything. The The The This all change contents desk. fridge. loose makes me my my of on over page. something. sort strewn this to want words

all Anything. change contents desk. fridge. loose makes me my my of on over page. something. sort strewn The The The This this to want words

Re: What different sorting algorithms sound like

#27
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you imagine would determine frequency?

For example in depth first search, the depth.

I like that. And in breadth first search, one could use a filter on a saw wave to have the breadth of the frequency spectrum manipulated by the search.

Re: What different sorting algorithms sound like

#30

Disclaimer: sorting algorithms can sound like just about anything, depending which parameters you map to which sounds. This is just a simple example of data sonification, albeit with some nice visualisation too, and a subject matter which appeals to the computer scientists in the room.

No. Under some simple guidelines, which the model follows, the sorting algorithms won't sound like just about anything.

If you sort random permutations of the values [1, n], and map some monotonic property to the values, then not only are there provably some sounds which certain algorithms make that others don't, but more generally there are 'average case' signatures for each algorithm that give them their own recognizable cadences, and that is exactly what this video is demonstrating.

That you can use a 'boop' or a 'beep' or 'buzz' or invert the monotonicity is obvious and irrelevant.

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