Java: Cocktail sort Algorithm

Last update on March 13 2025 09:06:16 (UTC/GMT +8 hours)

Write a Java program to sort an array of positive integers using the Cocktail sort algorithm.

Cocktail shaker sort (also known as bidirectional bubble sort, cocktail sort, shaker sort, ripple sort, shuffle sort, or shuttle sort ) is a variation of bubble sort that is both a stable sorting algorithm and a comparison sort. The algorithm differs from a bubble sort in that it sorts in both directions on each pass through the list. This sorting algorithm is only marginally more difficult to implement than a bubble sort and solves the problem of turtles in bubble sorts. It provides only marginal performance improvements, and does not improve asymptotic performance; like the bubble sort, it is not of practical interest, though it finds some use in education.

Visualization of shaker sort :

Sample Solution:

Java Code:

import java.util.Arrays;
class cocktailSort
{
    void cocktailSort(int nums[])
    {
	  boolean swapped;
	  do {
		swapped = false;
		for (int i =0; i<=  nums.length  - 2;i++) {
			if (nums[ i ] > nums[ i + 1 ]) {
				//test if two elements are in the wrong order
				int temp = nums[i];
				nums[i] = nums[i+1];
				nums[i+1]=temp;
				swapped = true;
			}
		}
		if (!swapped) {
			break;
		}
		swapped = false;
		for (int i= nums.length - 2;i>=0;i--) {
			if (nums[ i ] > nums[ i + 1 ]) {
				int temp = nums[i];
				nums[i] = nums[i+1];
				nums[i+1]=temp;
				swapped = true;
			}
		}
	} while (swapped);
}
    // Method to test above
    public static void main(String args[])
    {
        cocktailSort ob = new cocktailSort();
        int nums[] = {7, 5, 3, 2, 1, 12, 45};
        System.out.println("Original Array:");
        System.out.println(Arrays.toString(nums));
        ob.cocktailSort(nums);
        System.out.println("Sorted Array");
        System.out.println(Arrays.toString(nums));
    }
}

Sample Output:

Original Array:
[7, 5, 3, 2, 1, 12, 45]
Sorted Array
[1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 12, 45]  

Flowchart:

For more Practice: Solve these Related Problems:

• Write a Java program to implement cocktail sort and count the number of passes required to sort an array.
• Write a Java program to modify cocktail sort to sort an array of strings in a case-insensitive manner.
• Write a Java program to implement cocktail sort and optimize it by tracking the last swap position in each pass.
• Write a Java program to compare the performance of cocktail sort on nearly sorted and random arrays.

Java Code Editor:

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