According to Table A-3 on array sorting methods, what is the worst-case performance of the 'quicksort' algorithm?
Explanation
Table A-3 summarizes key characteristics of different sorting algorithms in NumPy. For 'quicksort', while it is fast on average, its worst-case time complexity is O(n^2), which is an important consideration for performance guarantees.
Other questions
In the context of NumPy's alternative sort algorithms, which algorithm is identified as the only available stable sort?
When using NumPy's `lexsort` function with multiple key arrays, such as `np.lexsort((first_name, last_name))`, which key is used for sorting first?
What is the primary purpose of the `numpy.partition` function?
What does `numpy.argpartition` return?
What is the default behavior of `numpy.searchsorted` when searching for a value that is already present multiple times in a sorted array?
How can `numpy.searchsorted` be used for binning data, as demonstrated in the example with 'data' and 'bins' arrays?
What is the primary function of the Numba library as described in the text?
What does the `nopython=True` option in Numba's `jit` function do?
What does the `numba.vectorize` function create?
What is a memory-mapped file, as implemented by NumPy's `memmap` object?
When you slice a NumPy `memmap` object, for example `section = mmap[:5]`, what is returned?
When you assign data to a slice of a `memmap` object, when are the changes guaranteed to be written to the on-disk file?
When opening an existing memory-mapped file with `np.memmap`, what information must you still provide besides the file path?
Which two Python projects are mentioned as providing NumPy-friendly interfaces for the HDF5 format?
Which of the following is listed as a performance tip for using NumPy?
What does it mean for a NumPy array's memory layout to be 'C contiguous'?
According to the example on page 506, which operation is theoretically faster on a 2D array: summing the rows of a C-contiguous array (`arr_c.sum(1)`) or a FORTRAN-contiguous array (`arr_f.sum(1)`)?
If you have a NumPy array that does not have the desired memory order (e.g., it is F-contiguous but you need C-contiguous for an operation), what function can you use to fix this?
In the IPython terminal, what is the keyboard shortcut `Ctrl-R` used for?
What is the term for special commands in IPython that are prefixed with a percent symbol (percent) and are not part of Python itself?
What is the 'automagic' feature in IPython?
According to Table B-2, what is the purpose of the `%pdb` magic command?
What is the primary difference between the `%time` and `%timeit` magic commands?
When using the `%run` command to execute a script in IPython, in what kind of namespace is the script run by default?
What happens when you press `Ctrl-C` while a long-running command or a script started with `%run` is executing?
In an IPython session, how can you access the result of the most recently evaluated expression that was not assigned to a variable?
How can you execute a system shell command, like `ls` or `dir`, from within an IPython session?
What is the purpose of the IPython Directory Bookmark System?
Unlike shell aliases defined with `%alias`, what is a key feature of directory bookmarks created with `%bookmark`?
When is it considered one of the best times to use the `%debug` command in IPython?
In the IPython debugger (ipdb), how can you switch between different levels of the stack trace?
How does using the `-d` flag with the `%run` command (e.g., `%run -d my_script.py`) alter its execution?
In the IPython debugger, if a debugger command (like `n`) has the same name as a variable you want to inspect, how can you examine the variable's content?
What is the main concern when using the Python `cProfile` module for profiling code?
When running a script with `python -m cProfile`, what does the `-s cumulative` flag do?
What is the purpose of the `line_profiler` library and its IPython extension `%lprun`?
Why must you explicitly specify which functions to profile when using `%lprun`?
What problem does Python's 'load-once' module system present in interactive IPython development?
What function from the standard library's `importlib` module can be used to attempt to reload a module that has been changed?
According to the 'Code Design Tips', why is it generally better to have code execute in a module's global namespace rather than nested inside a `main()` function when developing for IPython?
Where are the configuration files for the IPython shell, such as `ipython_config.py`, typically found?
What command do you run in the terminal to create an initial default IPython configuration file?
How can you create and use an alternative IPython configuration profile, separate from the default one?
What command is used to generate a default configuration file for a Jupyter notebook?
What does the IPython magic command `%reset` do?
When might you encounter a `SettingWithCopyWarning` in pandas, according to the index?
Which magic command is described in Table B-2 as being able to 'Execute preformatted Python code from clipboard'?
What is the key difference highlighted between `%paste` and `%cpaste` for executing code from the clipboard?
When working with very large datasets, what potential memory problem related to IPython's history is mentioned?