Heap Sort
Heap Sort is a comparison-based sorting algorithm that uses a binary heap data structure to sort elements. It works by first building a max-heap (or min-heap) from the input array, then repeatedly extracting the root element (the largest or smallest) and placing it at the end of the sorted portion of the array. This results in an in-place sorting algorithm with a guaranteed time complexity of O(n log n) for all cases.
Developers should learn Heap Sort when they need a reliable, in-place sorting algorithm with consistent O(n log n) performance, especially in scenarios where worst-case performance is critical, such as in real-time systems or when sorting large datasets. It is particularly useful in applications like priority queue implementations, operating system scheduling, and memory management, where heap structures are naturally employed.