Stuff like whether the algorithm will always stop, or whether it runs O(N) vs O(N square). The main point to me was more to be able to have a conversation about the solution rather than it being absolutely right. I remember quite a few people using randomness, the most odd (and totally wrong) one using a random sort function over an array of (1..52).
Why is the random sort wrong?
Random sort meaning that sometimes a>b, other times a<b for the same values. Whatever algorithm a language's built in sort implements probably assumes that comparisons are consistent. I remember checking a few versions of perl and some created a core dump iirc.
Ah okay. Thought you meant using something like shuffle in Ruby.
I do wonder what the result of doing a randomized sort like that would be. Probably not really random. Feel like numbers near the median would be overrepresented in the middle of the array.