Description: Heap sort is a comparison-based sorting algorithm that uses a binary heap data structure. This technique relies on the heap property, where each parent node is greater than or equal to (in a max heap) or less than or equal to (in a min heap) its child nodes. The algorithm begins by building a heap from the elements to be sorted, allowing for efficient organization of the data. Once the heap is constructed, the maximum (or minimum) element is extracted and placed at the end of the sorted list, repeating this process until all elements have been sorted. This approach has a time complexity of O(n log n) in the worst case, making it efficient for large datasets. Additionally, heap sort is an in-place algorithm, meaning it does not require significant additional space beyond what is needed to store the data being sorted. Its comparison-based nature makes it versatile and applicable in various situations where efficient and stable sorting is required, being a popular choice in the implementation of data structures like priority queues.
