Summary

Merge sort is a divide_and_conquer algorithm. It performs a split_step by halving the array until size 1, then a merge_step to combine sorted halves. merge_sort is a stable_sort and not_in_place. Typical time_complexity is O(n log n) in best, average, and worst cases. space_complexity is O(n) for auxiliary storage. It is recursive and works well for linked lists and large datasets. Key operations: compare, copy, and merge in order.