Dropsort

Introduction

Algorithm Description

After a single pass of this algorithm, the list will only contain numbers that are at least as large as the previous number in the list. In other words, the list will be sorted!

Analysis

Dropsort is what is known in the computer science field as a lossy algorithm. It produces a fast result that is correct, but at the cost of potentially losing some of the input data. Although to those not versed in the arts of computer science this may seem undesirable, lossy algorithms are actually a well-accepted part of computing. An example is the popular JPEG image compression format, which enjoys widespread use because of its versatility and usefulness. In similar fashion, dropsort promises to revolutionise the sorting of data in fields as diverse as commercial finance, government record-keeping, and space exploration.

Resources

It's an implementation of a sorting algorithm with your DropSort at the core -- basically call dropsort, keeping the dropped items... then reverse that list and call dropsort again recursively. (Because obviously anything that wasn't in ascending order before must be in descending order now.)