A "stable" sorting algorithm preserves the relative order of elements with "equal value". This doesn't really apply if you are only sorting simple values, as th

A "stable" sorting algorithm preserves the relative order of elements with "equal value". This doesn't really apply if you are only sorting simple values, as there is no difference between a 7 and another 7, but does if you are sorted more complicated objects by some key. Example: sorting 2#a, 1#c, 2#b by only the first number. An algorithm that produces 1#c, 2#b, 2#a is a correct sorting algorithm, but not stable as it changes the order of 2#a and 2#b.