Why it matters

Selection is fundamental. Understanding shapes algorithm choice.

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The architecture

Quickselect: partition + recurse one side.

MoM: guaranteed pivot quality.

Heap: O(n log k).

Selection algorithmsQuickselectexpected O(n)MoMworst O(n)HeapO(n log k)Randomized quickselect wins in practice; MoM for guarantees; heap for small k
Selection.
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How it works end to end

Quickselect: partition on pivot; recurse on side with k-th.

Randomized pivot key.

Introselect: fallback to MoM.