Quick Sort Demonstration with 8 Numbers

Overview

A step-by-step visual demonstration of the quick sort algorithm on an array of 8 integers. The animation shows pivot selection, partitioning, recursive sorting of subarrays, and the final sorted order. The key takeaway is understanding how partitioning and recursion combine to sort an array.

Phases

#	Phase Name	Duration	Description
1	Intro	~3s	Display an unsorted array of 8 bars (e.g., heights representing values [3, 1, 4, 5, 2, 8, 6, 7]) with numeric labels above them. A title appears briefly: "Quick Sort".
2	Choose Pivot	~3s	Highlight the last element (value 7) as the pivot (e.g., change its color to blue). Show a small label "Pivot" near it.
3	Partition	~15s	Initialize two pointers: i (left) at the first element, j (right) moving leftward. Animate comparisons: move j left until finding an element < pivot, then move i right until finding an element > pivot, then swap those elements. Continue until i and j cross, then swap pivot into correct position. Highlight each swap with a brief flash or color change. After partition, the pivot is in its final position (colored green).
4	Recursive Sort	~15s	Indicate that the left subarray (elements left of pivot) and right subarray (elements right of pivot) need sorting. Recurse by repeating phases 2-3 on each subarray, but with a smaller visual focus (e.g., dim non-focus elements). Show the recursive steps sequentially: first sort left subarray (size 3), then right subarray (size 4). Use different colors for the current subarray regions.
5	Completion	~3s	All bars become green and a label "Sorted!" appears. The final array is displayed in ascending order: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8].

Layout

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                             │
│              MAIN (array bars)               │
│                                             │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Caption (step label or key information)    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Area Descriptions

Area	Content	Notes
Main	Vertical bars representing array elements, with numeric labels above each bar. Pivot, pointers, and swapped elements are highlighted with color changes (e.g., blue for pivot, red for compared/swapped, orange for swapped, green for sorted).	Primary focus; bars are evenly spaced.
Caption	Short step label (e.g., "Pivot: 7", "Partitioning...", "Sorting left subarray")	Persistent at bottom; updates each phase.

Notes

• Use a simple array [3, 1, 4, 5, 2, 8, 6, 7] (values from 1 to 8) for clarity.
• Elements: bars with heights proportional to values.
• Pointers: small arrows or markers below the bars for i and j during partitioning.
• Color scheme: default gray, pivot blue, compared/selected red, swapped orange, final sorted green.
• Keep transitions smooth (duration ~0.5s for highlights, ~1s for swaps).
• No code or equations; purely visual demonstration.
• Ensure total animation time stays under 40 seconds.