GATE CS 2014 Set 3 — Question 24
Go beyond PYQs with Success TrackerAI-powered personalised practice and doubt support. Unlimited practice on eligible plans; AI usage limits apply.MCQ+1 / -0.33EasyQuick SortSortingAlgorithmsBest, Worst, Average CaseAsymptotic Analysis
Algorithms → Asymptotic Analysis → Best, Worst, Average Case
Last updated
Question
You have an array of elements. Suppose you implement quicksort by always choosing the central element of the array as the pivot. Then the tightest upper bound for the worst case performance is
Correct answer
(A) O(n²)
Solution
Quicksort's worst-case time complexity is . This occurs when the pivot selection consistently results in highly unbalanced partitions (e.g., one partition has elements and the other has ). Choosing the middle element as a pivot is a fixed-position strategy and does not prevent the worst-case scenario; specific input sequences can still be constructed to trigger performance. Therefore, the tightest upper bound for the worst case remains .
Continue learning with Success Tracker
A step still unclear? Work through it with support
Use Success Tracker to ask about the reasoning, then try another GATE CS question to check your understanding.
AI-powered practice· Unlimited practice on eligible plans
- PYQs with solutions
- Attempt available previous-year questions, then compare your reasoning with the worked solution. Coverage varies by stream.
- Practice that adapts
- Choose a topic, work on weaker areas and bookmark questions to revisit. Your attempts feed your progress tracking.
- AI doubt support
- Ask follow-up questions about a step or concept while practising, instead of stopping at the final answer.
Unlimited practice is available on eligible plans. Free practice and AI usage have limits; check the current plan allowances before choosing.
This page stays readable without an account. AI responses can be wrong; check them against the solution and source material.
More questions on Asymptotic Analysis
2026 Set 1 Q17Consider the following recurrence relations: For all ,…2026 Set 2 Q24Consider the following functions, where is a positive integer.…2026 Set 2 Q25Which of the following can be recurrence relation(s) corresponding to an algorithm with time…2026 Set 2 Q32Consider an array . Suppose the merge sort algorithm is…2026 Set 2 Q37Let be a weighted directed acyclic graph with edges and vertices. Given and a…