What does Quickselect return when run on the list (92, 69, 73, 86, 77, 45) with k = 2?

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

The question asks: What does Quickselect return when run on the list (92, 69, 73, 86, 77, 45) with k = 2?

First, it's important to clarify the convention for k in Quickselect, because different sources use 1-based or 0-based indexing. If k is 1-based (the common textbook definition), k = 2 would mean the second smallest element. If k is 0-based, k = 2 would mean the third smallest element. The provided answer is 73, so we can infer which interpretation is being used.

Let's explore the data: the list elements are 92, 69, 73, 86, 77, 45.
- The sorted order of these values is: 45, 69, 73, 77, 86, 92.

If k = 2 were 1-based (second smallest), the result would be 69.
If k = 2 were 0-based (third smallest), the result would be 73.

Since the stated correct answer is 73, that aligns with the interpretation that k is treated as a 0-based index, i.e., k = 2 corresponds to the third smallest element.

Why 73 is the third smallest under this interpretation:
- After sorting, the three smallest elements are 45, 69, and 73.
- The third smallest among these is 73, which matches the given answer.

Now, consider potential misconceptions:
- If you assumed a 1-based convention and looked for the second smallest, you would get 69, which would contradict the provided answer.
- If you tried to apply Quickselect without understanding whether k is 0-based or 1-based, you might misidentify the target order statistic and select either the second or first smallest instead of the third.

In Quickselect implementations, always check the documentation or code to confirm whether k is 0-based or 1-based. In this case, the expected output of 73 corresponds to k = 2 being interpreted as the third smallest element (0-based indexing).

Summary: Given the answer is 73, the interpretation is that k is 0-based, so k = 2 selects the third smallest element of the list, which is 73.

CIS-279-OLH-CRN47413 Quiz: Chapter 3

What does Quickselect return when run on the list (92, 69, 73, 86, 77, 45) with k = 2?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

The C++ Quickselect() function's best case runtime is _____.

In a consumer society, many adults channel creativity into buying things

Economic stress and unpredictable times have resulted in a booming industry for self-help products

People born without creativity never can develop it

A product has a selling price of $20, a contribution margin ratio of 40% and fixed cost of $120,000. To make a profit of $30,000. The number of units that must be sold is: Type the number without $ and a comma. Eg: 20000

Which of the following statement regarding cost is correct:

Under the assumptions used in cost-volume-profit analysis, as the activity increases:

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler