Card Sorting Simulations -- Selection Sort

Recommendation

Has Potential

Link

http://gustavus.edu/academics/mcs/max/concabs/applets/sort/

Delivery Method

Java Applet

License

Language

English

Author

Max Hailperin

Institution

Gustavus Adolphus College

Project

StandAlone

RelationshipToProject

StandAlone

Works

Yes

Description

This is an example of a "virtual manipulative" in that it purposely mimics implementing selection sort using the physical manipulative of a deck of cards. The user moves one card at a time between "destination," "source," and "discard" piles.

Evaluation

A good idea within its intended purpose. It is a little awkward because it can be difficult to understand what you are supposed to do until you catch on. Of course, for any larger number of cards it gets really tedious, but that is part of the lesson. One advantage is that it really makes you understand how the algorithm works. The big disadvantage is that the "algorithm" isn't quite what a computer actually does. The typical algorithm "remembers" the location of the biggest card so far and does a swap at the end. Since this implementation is dependent on the concept of 3 piles of cards, it uses the algorithm of putting the current largest onto the "destination" pile, and moving that to the discard pile when a new "largest" candidate is found.

ActivityLevel

GoodFor

Exploring the Concept

Screenshots

Videos

References

HowToUse

First Visited

2008-03-17

Last Visited

2008-03-17

Last Updated

1999

Topic

QuadraticSorts

Community

Average rating: unrated
Your rating:You must be logged in to Rate.
Comments

Edit

You may edit this entry if you have an account.