Bubble Sort Theory Examples

Below, you'll find a collection of examples illustrating the most basic, yet delightfully inefficient sorting algorithm.

Example 1: Bubble Sort in Action

Imagine a row of colorful, wobbly balls. Each ball represents a value, and the goal is to arrange them in order from smallest to largest.

Wobbly prophets in a row prophets

Bubble sort works by repeatedly iterating through the row, comparing each ball to its neighbor, and "bubbling" the larger ones to the end.

View the algorithm in action

Example 2: Bubble Sort in Real Life

Picture a line of people waiting for coffee. Each person represents a value, and the goal is to arrange them in order from smallest to largest (i.e., shortest to tallest).

People waiting for coffee

Bubble sort works by having each person compare themselves to their neighbor, and "moving" the larger ones to the end of the queue.

Read more about queue theory

Learn more about implementing bubble sort in code

Or, if you're feeling adventurous, read about common pitfalls and gotchas