What is the fastest sorting algorithm for integers in C?

Counting Sort for small ranges; Quick Sort for general cases.

Why do O(n^2) sorting algorithms perform differently?

Differences in swaps, cache hits, and inner loop tightness — Bubble swaps most, Insertion least.

Is Radix Sort stable and when to use it?

Yes, stable. Use for fixed-length keys like strings or multi-digit ints.

Bubble Sort Lasted 47 Seconds on 1M Ints — Counting Sort Blitzed It in 0.04: My C Benchmarks

Theory says O(n^2) is O(n^2). Practice laughs. My C benchmark clocked Bubble Sort at 47 seconds for a million ints — while Counting Sort flew by in 40 milliseconds.

theAIcatchup Apr 08, 2026 4 min read

ASCII bar chart of sorting algorithm runtimes in C for 1M integers

⚡ Key Takeaways

O(n^2) sorts vary hugely: Bubble 47s vs Insertion 28s on 1M ints. 𝕏
Counting/Radix crush comparison sorts for integers, but niche. 𝕏
Benchmarks > theory: memcpy clones ensure fair fights. 𝕏

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#Big O complexity #C benchmark #C benchmarks #O(n²) complexity #algorithm performance #sorting algorithms #time complexity

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Originally reported by Dev.to

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