Crystal Cavern | code.sinau.dev

💎 What is .sort()?

Imagine you have a pile of gems. You could arrange them ONE BY ONE... or use .sort() to put them in order automatically!

.sort() takes every item in an array and rearranges them based on their values. It's perfect for:

// Sort numbers from smallest to biggest
const sizes = [50, 10, 30, 20];

const sorted = sizes.sort((a, b) => a - b);
// Result: [10, 20, 30, 50]

How it works:

• (a, b) => a - b means "smallest first"
• (a, b) => b - a means "biggest first"
• The function compares pairs and swaps them until everything is in order!

// The sorting formula:
array.sort((a, b) => a - b) // ascending (1, 2, 3)
array.sort(=> b - a) // descending (3, 2, 1)

Remember: In Treasure Tally, you used .reduce() to COMBINE all items into one value. Now with .sort(), you can ORGANIZE items in order!

1 Challenge: Sort Words

Can you sort an array of words in alphabetical order? The default .sort() without a function works for strings!

const gems = ["Ruby", "Emerald", "Sapphire"]; const sorted = gems.sort(); // Result: ["Emerald", "Ruby", "Sapphire"]

2 Challenge: Descending Order

Sort from BIGGEST to smallest using (a, b) => b - a

const scores = [95, 82, 88]; const ranked = scores.sort((a, b) => b - a); // Result: [95, 88, 82]

3 Challenge: Combine with Reduce

Sort first, then use .reduce() to find the TOTAL! Sort these numbers, then add them all up.

const prices = [30, 10, 50, 20];
const sorted = prices.sort((a, b) => a - b);
const total = sorted.reduce((sum, n) => sum + n, 0);
// Sorted: [10, 20, 30, 50], Total: 110

4 Challenge: Find the Middle

Sort the array, then find the middle value using index Math.floor(arr.length / 2)

const ages = [14, 8, 11]; const sorted = ages.sort((a, b) => a - b); const middle = sorted[Math.floor(sorted.length / 2)]; // Result: 11

5 Challenge: Median Finder

Create a function that finds the median value of ANY sorted array!

function findMedian(arr) {
  const sorted = arr.sort((a, b) => a - b);
  const mid = Math.floor(sorted.length / 2);
  return sorted[mid];
}
findMedian([5, 2, 8, 1]);
// Result: 5

✨ What You Learned

💎.sort() — Puts array items in order automatically
⬆️Ascending — Use (a, b) => a - b for smallest to biggest
⬇️Descending — Use (a, b) => b - a for biggest to smallest
📝Strings — .sort() works on words without extra code
🔗Combines — Chain .sort() with .reduce() for powerful data analysis!