Polyphase merge sort

A polyphase merge sort is a variation of bottom up Merge sort that sorts a list using an initial uneven distribution of sub-lists (runs), primarily used for external sorting, and is more efficient than an ordinary merge sort when there are fewer than 8 external working files (such as a tape drive or a file on a hard drive). A polyphase merge sort is not a stable sort.

Polyphase merge sort

A polyphase merge sort is a variation of bottom up Merge sort that sorts a list using an initial uneven distribution of sub-lists (runs), primarily used for external sorting, and is more efficient than an ordinary merge sort when there are fewer than 8 external working files (such as a tape drive or a file on a hard drive). A polyphase merge sort is not a stable sort.