DualPivotQuicksort解读

java.util.Arrays里面使用了java.util.DualPivotQuicksort作为主要的排序实现。根据JDK注释，

/**
 * This class implements the Dual-Pivot Quicksort algorithm by
 * Vladimir Yaroslavskiy, Jon Bentley, and Josh Bloch. The algorithm
 * offers O(n log(n)) performance on many data sets that cause other
 * quicksorts to degrade to quadratic performance, and is typically
 * faster than traditional (one-pivot) Quicksort implementations.
 *
 * @author Vladimir Yaroslavskiy
 * @author Jon Bentley
 * @author Josh Bloch
 *
 * @version 2011.02.11 m765.827.12i:5\7pm
 * @since 1.7
 */

那么，为什么DualPivotQuicksort的性能会高呢？

1. 插入排序的改进

当数组长度较短时，使用插入排序

      if (length < INSERTION_SORT_THRESHOLD) {
            if (leftmost) {
                /*
                 * Traditional (without sentinel) insertion sort,
                 * optimized for server VM, is used in case of
                 * the leftmost part.
                 */
                for (int i = left, j = i; i < right; j = ++i) {
                    int ai = a[i + 1];
                    while (ai < a[j]) {
                        a[j + 1] = a[j];
                        if (j-- == left) {
                            break;
                        }
                    }
                    a[j + 1] = ai;
                }
            } else {
                /*
                 * Skip the longest ascending sequence.
                 */
                do {
                    if (left >= right) {
                        return;
                    }
                } while (a[++left] >= a[left - 1]);

                /*
                 * Every element from adjoining part plays the role
                 * of sentinel, therefore this allows us to avoid the
                 * left range check on each iteration. Moreover, we use
                 * the more optimized algorithm, so called pair insertion
                 * sort, which is faster (in the context of Quicksort)
                 * than traditional implementation of insertion sort.
                 */
                for (int k = left; ++left <= right; k = ++left) {
                    int a1 = a[k], a2 = a[left];

                    if (a1 < a2) {
                        a2 = a1; a1 = a[left];
                    }
                    while (a1 < a[--k]) {
                        a[k + 2] = a[k];
                    }
                    a[++k + 1] = a1;

                    while (a2 < a[--k]) {
                        a[k + 1] = a[k];
                    }
                    a[k + 1] = a2;
                }
                int last = a[right];

                while (last < a[--right]) {
                    a[right + 1] = a[right];
                }
                a[right + 1] = last;
            }
            return;
        }

leftmost是个boolean变量，表明从left到right这部分，是不是数组a的最左边的部分。

if (leftmost){...}使用的是传统的插入排序，容易理解。

为了加快快排，一次排两个数，这是else部分，是优化的方式。很显然， 每次遍历插入两个元素可以减少排序过程中遍历的元素个数 。如果leftmost==true时，一次排两个数，

可能会越界。

2. 对快排的改进

常用的快排算法是从数组的left、right以及center三个数中选择一个pivot，然后在快排。而DualPivotQuicksort使用了两个pivot加速。思想如下：

1) 选择两个点作为轴心, P1,P2。
2)P1必须比P2要小，现在将整个数组分为四部分：
（1）第一部分：比P1小的元素。
（2）第二部分：比P1大但是比P2小的元素。
（3）第三部分：比P2大的元素。
（4）第四部分：待比较的部分。
在开始比较前，除了轴点，其余元素几乎都在第四部分，直到比较完之后第四部分没有元素。
3）.从第四部分选出一个元素a[K]，与两个轴心比较，然后放到第一二三部分中的一个。
4）.移动L，K，G指向。
5）.重复 3）和4） 步，直到第四部分为空。
6）.将P1与第一部分的最后一个元素交换。将P2与第三部分的第一个元素交换。
7）.递归的将第一二三部分排序。

源码如下：

// Inexpensive approximation of length / 7
        int seventh = (length >> 3) + (length >> 6) + 1;

        /*
         * Sort five evenly spaced elements around (and including) the
         * center element in the range. These elements will be used for
         * pivot selection as described below. The choice for spacing
         * these elements was empirically determined to work well on
         * a wide variety of inputs.
         */
        int e3 = (left + right) >>> 1; // The midpoint
        int e2 = e3 - seventh;
        int e1 = e2 - seventh;
        int e4 = e3 + seventh;
        int e5 = e4 + seventh;

        // Sort these elements using insertion sort
        if (a[e2] < a[e1]) { int t = a[e2]; a[e2] = a[e1]; a[e1] = t; }

        if (a[e3] < a[e2]) { int t = a[e3]; a[e3] = a[e2]; a[e2] = t;
            if (t < a[e1]) { a[e2] = a[e1]; a[e1] = t; }
        }
        if (a[e4] < a[e3]) { int t = a[e4]; a[e4] = a[e3]; a[e3] = t;
            if (t < a[e2]) { a[e3] = a[e2]; a[e2] = t;
                if (t < a[e1]) { a[e2] = a[e1]; a[e1] = t; }
            }
        }
        if (a[e5] < a[e4]) { int t = a[e5]; a[e5] = a[e4]; a[e4] = t;
            if (t < a[e3]) { a[e4] = a[e3]; a[e3] = t;
                if (t < a[e2]) { a[e3] = a[e2]; a[e2] = t;
                    if (t < a[e1]) { a[e2] = a[e1]; a[e1] = t; }
                }
            }
        }

        // Pointers
        int less  = left;  // The index of the first element of center part
        int great = right; // The index before the first element of right part

        if (a[e1] != a[e2] && a[e2] != a[e3] && a[e3] != a[e4] && a[e4] != a[e5]) {
            /*
             * Use the second and fourth of the five sorted elements as pivots.
             * These values are inexpensive approximations of the first and
             * second terciles of the array. Note that pivot1 <= pivot2.
             */
            int pivot1 = a[e2];
            int pivot2 = a[e4];

            /*
             * The first and the last elements to be sorted are moved to the
             * locations formerly occupied by the pivots. When partitioning
             * is complete, the pivots are swapped back into their final
             * positions, and excluded from subsequent sorting.
             */
            a[e2] = a[left];
            a[e4] = a[right];

            /*
             * Skip elements, which are less or greater than pivot values.
             */
            while (a[++less] < pivot1);
            while (a[--great] > pivot2);

            /*
             * Partitioning:
             *
             *   left part           center part                   right part
             * +--------------------------------------------------------------+
             * |  < pivot1  |  pivot1 <= && <= pivot2  |    ?    |  > pivot2  |
             * +--------------------------------------------------------------+
             *               ^                          ^       ^
             *               |                          |       |
             *              less                        k     great
             *
             * Invariants:
             *
             *              all in (left, less)   < pivot1
             *    pivot1 <= all in [less, k)     <= pivot2
             *              all in (great, right) > pivot2
             *
             * Pointer k is the first index of ?-part.
             */
            outer:
            for (int k = less - 1; ++k <= great; ) {
                int ak = a[k];
                if (ak < pivot1) { // Move a[k] to left part
                    a[k] = a[less];
                    /*
                     * Here and below we use "a[i] = b; i++;" instead
                     * of "a[i++] = b;" due to performance issue.
                     */
                    a[less] = ak;
                    ++less;
                } else if (ak > pivot2) { // Move a[k] to right part
                    while (a[great] > pivot2) {
                        if (great-- == k) {
                            break outer;
                        }
                    }
                    if (a[great] < pivot1) { // a[great] <= pivot2
                        a[k] = a[less];
                        a[less] = a[great];
                        ++less;
                    } else { // pivot1 <= a[great] <= pivot2
                        a[k] = a[great];
                    }
                    /*
                     * Here and below we use "a[i] = b; i--;" instead
                     * of "a[i--] = b;" due to performance issue.
                     */
                    a[great] = ak;
                    --great;
                }
            }

            // Swap pivots into their final positions
            a[left]  = a[less  - 1]; a[less  - 1] = pivot1;
            a[right] = a[great + 1]; a[great + 1] = pivot2;

            // Sort left and right parts recursively, excluding known pivots
            sort(a, left, less - 2, leftmost);
            sort(a, great + 2, right, false);

            /*
             * If center part is too large (comprises > 4/7 of the array),
             * swap internal pivot values to ends.
             */
            if (less < e1 && e5 < great) {
                /*
                 * Skip elements, which are equal to pivot values.
                 */
                while (a[less] == pivot1) {
                    ++less;
                }

                while (a[great] == pivot2) {
                    --great;
                }

                /*
                 * Partitioning:
                 *
                 *   left part         center part                  right part
                 * +----------------------------------------------------------+
                 * | == pivot1 |  pivot1 < && < pivot2  |    ?    | == pivot2 |
                 * +----------------------------------------------------------+
                 *              ^                        ^       ^
                 *              |                        |       |
                 *             less                      k     great
                 *
                 * Invariants:
                 *
                 *              all in (*,  less) == pivot1
                 *     pivot1 < all in [less,  k)  < pivot2
                 *              all in (great, *) == pivot2
                 *
                 * Pointer k is the first index of ?-part.
                 */
                outer:
                for (int k = less - 1; ++k <= great; ) {
                    int ak = a[k];
                    if (ak == pivot1) { // Move a[k] to left part
                        a[k] = a[less];
                        a[less] = ak;
                        ++less;
                    } else if (ak == pivot2) { // Move a[k] to right part
                        while (a[great] == pivot2) {
                            if (great-- == k) {
                                break outer;
                            }
                        }
                        if (a[great] == pivot1) { // a[great] < pivot2
                            a[k] = a[less];
                            /*
                             * Even though a[great] equals to pivot1, the
                             * assignment a[less] = pivot1 may be incorrect,
                             * if a[great] and pivot1 are floating-point zeros
                             * of different signs. Therefore in float and
                             * double sorting methods we have to use more
                             * accurate assignment a[less] = a[great].
                             */
                            a[less] = pivot1;
                            ++less;
                        } else { // pivot1 < a[great] < pivot2
                            a[k] = a[great];
                        }
                        a[great] = ak;
                        --great;
                    }
                }
            }

            // Sort center part recursively
            sort(a, less, great, false);