For small arrays like this, you should probably look into sorting networks. As you can see on that page, insertion sort can be expressed as a sorting network. However, if you know the size of the array beforehand, you can devise an optimal network. Take a look at this site that can help you to … Read more
(Following up on the suggestion of @HelloWorld to look into sorting networks.) It seems that a 29-comparison/swap network is the fastest way to do a 10-input sort. I used the network discovered by Waksman in 1969 for this example in JavaScript, which should translate directly into C, as it’s just a list of if statements, … Read more
For any optimization, it’s always best to test, test, test. I would try at least sorting networks and insertion sort. If I were betting, I’d put my money on insertion sort based on past experience. Do you know anything about the input data? Some algorithms will perform better with certain kinds of data. For example, … Read more