Sorting network

Patent Pending In computer science, a sorting network is an algorithm that sorts a fixed number of values using a fixed sequence of comparisons. They can be thought of as networks of wires and comparator modules. Values (of any ordered type) flow across the wires. The comparators each connect two wires, compare the values coming in on the wires, and sort them by outputting the smaller value to one wire, and the larger to the other.