std::nth_element

template< class RandomIt >
void nth_element( RandomIt first, RandomIt nth, RandomIt last );

template< class RandomIt, class Compare >
void nth_element( RandomIt first, RandomIt nth, RandomIt last, Compare comp );

nth_element is a partial sorting algorithm that rearranges elements in [first, last) such that:

• The element pointed at by nth is changed to whatever element would occur in that position if [first, last) was sorted.
• All of the elements before this new nth element are less than or equal to the elements after the new nth element.

More formally, nth_element partially sorts the range [first, last) in ascending order so that the condition !(*j < *i) (for the first version, or comp(*j, *i) == false for the second version) is met for any i in the range [first, nth) and for any j in the range [nth, last). The element placed in the nth position is exactly the element that would occur in this position if the range was fully sorted.

nth may be the end iterator, in this case the function has no effect.

Parameters

Return value

(none).

Complexity

Linear in std::distance(first, last) on average.

Notes

The algorithm used is typically introselect although other selection algorithms with suitable average-case complexity are allowed.

Example

#include <iostream>
#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>
#include <functional>
 
int main()
{
    std::vector<int> v{5, 6, 4, 3, 2, 6, 7, 9, 3};
 
    std::nth_element(v.begin(), v.begin() + v.size()/2, v.end());
    std::cout << "The median is " << v[v.size()/2] << '\n';
 
    std::nth_element(v.begin(), v.begin()+1, v.end(), std::greater<int>());
    std::cout << "The second largest element is " << v[1] << '\n';
}

The median is 5
The second largest element is 7

See also