This video shows sped up versions of
sorting algorithms with associated sounds from a
GNU licensed program called
The Sound of Sorting (link to description which contains the program download info)
. It was created by
Timo Bingmann, a Ph.D student in the "
Institute of Theoretical Informatics, Algorithmics" in
Karlsruhe, Germany, to provide much better background (
see, e.g.) and more variants than a
prior YouTube version created YouTube user
andrut.
Andrut is good enough in the about section of his video to describe prior art, and there's even more including an old
QBasic sorting program (SLT), as Bingmann points out. (BTW, on the video above and on Bingmann's program, as well as on the video below, you'll want the sound turned
on, way on, since it is integral to the video -- it's called "The Sound of Sorting" for Christssake. On the video of the QBasic program, on the other hand, you'll want the sound off, very, very off, because it will rapidly drive you insane.)
Should you happen to find yourself with a surfeit of time you may also be interested in videos of the "
bubble sort" or the "
quick sort" treated as a Hungarian folk dances, the "
merge sort" as a Transylvanian German folk dance, or the "
select sort" as a Gypsy folk dance.
But your time is valuable so here is just andrut's short, very nice video from three years ago:
