JavaScript: Sort an Array

1. Introduction

Sorting is one of the fundamental operations in computer science and finds its application in countless real-world scenarios. In this guide, we will explore how to sort an array in JavaScript using its built-in methods.

2. Program Overview

During this guide, we will:

1. Initialize an unsorted array of numbers.

2. Use JavaScript's built-in method to sort the array.

3. Display the sorted array.

3. Code Program

let numbers = [34, 2, 56, 7, 9, 21, 5];  // Unsorted array
let sortedNumbers;  // Variable to hold the sorted array

// Using the array's sort method to sort the numbers in ascending order
sortedNumbers = numbers.sort((a, b) => a - b);

console.log("Original Array:", numbers);
console.log("Sorted Array:", sortedNumbers);

Output:

Original Array: [2, 5, 7, 9, 21, 34, 56]
Sorted Array: [2, 5, 7, 9, 21, 34, 56]

4. Step By Step Explanation

1. Array Initialization: We start by initializing an unsorted array numbers.

2. Sorting Mechanism: While JavaScript does provide a sort() method for arrays, it sorts values as strings by default. This behavior can lead to unexpected results with numeric arrays. To sort the array numerically in ascending order, we pass a comparison function (a, b) => a - b to the sort() method.

3. Storing and Displaying the Result: The sorted array is then stored in the sortedNumbers variable. We subsequently use console.log to display both the original and sorted arrays for clarity.