Algorithms: Sort, Search & Find

Algorithmsbeginner~6 min

Use built-in sort and find operations to organise data and locate elements efficiently.

Step 1 — Sort a dataset

sort() returns a sorted copy of the array in ascending order. The original array is unchanged — assign the result to a new variable.

data = [5 3 8 1 9 2 7 4 6];
sorted = sort(data);
disp(sorted)

Expected output: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]

find() returns the indices where a condition is true. Combine it with logical expressions to locate elements that satisfy any criterion.

sorted = [1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9];
idx = find(sorted > 5);
disp(idx);
disp(sorted(idx))

Expected output: Indices [6,7,8,9] and values [6,7,8,9]

Combine sort and find to simulate a binary-search workflow: sort once, then query repeatedly.

data = [42 17 88 55 3 73 29];
sorted = sort(data);
target = 55;
pos = find(sorted == target);
printf('Found %d at sorted position %d\n', target, pos)

Expected output: Found 55 at sorted position 5