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The answer to “which sorting algorithm python uses” is the first result in Google. The third is official python docs.
by heavenlyblue 6y ago
The answer to “which sorting algorithm python uses” is the first result in Google. The third is official python docs.
- gorgoiler 6y agoThe context was one where we were learning about how things work, rather than wanting to just know the answer per se. I always _try_ to show how one can answer problems from first principles before resorting to “go look it up on stack overflow”. It boosts ones sense of usefulness as a teacher if one can occasionally give more in depth answers as teachable moments. For one thing, demonstrating deeper understand is how you score high marks in exams.
- heavenlyblue 6y agoI don't understand what you mean by "first principles". Open up Python's source code and check - this is first principles-first hand. As a matter of fact I am going to go as far as saying that reading source code is the _only_ way to actually be any good in software engineering because it's the only source of truth that never gets out of sync with the de-facto. Did you expect to find a blog post about it (you can find it on the first page of Google search I mentioned)? Or a YouTube video (didn't pay attention to that)? Books are reasonably good but usually get out of sync quite fast. And going back to first principles: the reason most of the literature may not mention what sorting algorithm Python uses is because a) it's irrelevant as a first principle knowledge b) it gets quickly out of sync.
- dnadler 6y agoI think you've misread the comment. You seem to both have the same definition of first principles.