Unexpected Infinite Loop in Merge Sort Implementation - Python Version 3.10.0
Quick question that's been bugging me - I'm experimenting with I need some guidance on Hey everyone, I'm running into an issue that's driving me crazy. I'm working with an unexpected infinite loop when trying to implement Merge Sort in Python 3.10.0. My implementation should sort an array of integers, but it keeps getting exploring on certain inputs. Below is my code: ```python def merge_sort(arr): if len(arr) > 1: mid = len(arr) // 2 # Finding the mid of the array L = arr[:mid] # Dividing the elements into 2 halves R = arr[mid:] merge_sort(L) # Sorting the first half merge_sort(R) # Sorting the second half i = j = k = 0 # Copy data to temp arrays L[] and R[] while i < len(L) and j < len(R): if L[i] < R[j]: arr[k] = L[i] i += 1 else: arr[k] = R[j] j += 1 k += 1 # Checking if any element was left while i < len(L): arr[k] = L[i] i += 1 k += 1 while j < len(R): arr[k] = R[j] j += 1 k += 1 # Test case arr = [38, 27, 43, 3, 9, 82, 10] merge_sort(arr) print(arr) ``` When I run this code on some test cases, it works fine, but when I try larger arrays like `[5, 1, 3, 2, 4, 6, 0]`, the program hangs. I added print statements to track the flow, and I noticed that the execution gets exploring in the copying data portion of the merge step. I suspect it might be related to the index handling, but I need to pinpoint the exact scenario. I've checked that the array is being divided correctly and that the base case of the recursion is functioning as expected. Can anyone help identify what might be causing this infinite loop? Any suggestions for debugging this scenario would be greatly appreciated! I'm working on a application that needs to handle this. Cheers for any assistance!