This is excelent work on making algorithmic intuitons accessible! Your emphasis on structure as the primary efficiency driver is spot-on, and I love how you're focusing on the underlying geometry rather than implementation minutiae. I've seen so many CS students struggle with sorting algorithms because they memorize the code without understanding the inversion patterns you describe. The progression from quadratic to divide-and-conquer feels really natural in your framing.
This is excelent work on making algorithmic intuitons accessible! Your emphasis on structure as the primary efficiency driver is spot-on, and I love how you're focusing on the underlying geometry rather than implementation minutiae. I've seen so many CS students struggle with sorting algorithms because they memorize the code without understanding the inversion patterns you describe. The progression from quadratic to divide-and-conquer feels really natural in your framing.
Searching....
brings Richard Pick to mind!