Algorithms and object–oriented programming: Bridging the gap

Currently there is a serious conceptual and technical gap between ideas emphasized in object-oriented programming and ideas as taught in algorithms courses. We suggest both a paradigm for "re-expressing " algorithms in terms of classes and objects, and a set of criteria relative to which the quality of such re-expressions can be evaluated. A detailed example is provided for re-expressing the algorithmic idea of sorting. 1. The Problem In the paper "Design Patterns for Sorting", Nguyen and Wong present an object-oriented approach to sorting [5]. Generally speaking, object-oriented programming encourages us to think about and to organize software around data. On the other hand, typical presentations of sorting encourage us to think in terms of algorithms and t