Divide and Conquer definition & meaning in DSA Last Updated : 11 Apr, 2023 Improve Improve Like Article Like Save Share Report Divide and Conquer is a type of algorithm which involves breaking down a difficult problem into smaller subproblems, solving the subproblems individually and then merging the solutions of those subproblems to solve the actual problem. Properties of Divide and Conquer: Divides the problem into smaller subproblems. Each subproblem is solved independently. Solutions of subproblems are combined to obtain the solution to the original problem. Examples of Divide and Conquer Algorithms: There are various algorithms that follow the divide-and-conquer algorithm to solve a problem efficiently. Some common examples are given below: Merge Sort: It is a sorting algorithm that uses the divide and conquers approach to sort an array of elements. Binary Search: It is a search algorithm that uses the divide and conquers approach to find an element in a sorted array. Quick Sort: It is also a sorting algorithm that uses the divide and conquers approach to sort an array of elements. Applications of Divide and Conquer: Sorting algorithms: sorting algorithms like Merge Sort, Quick Sort, and Heap Sort uses the divide-and-conquer approach to sort a given set of elements efficiently. Searching algorithms: Binary Search is a classic example of a divide-and-conquer algorithm used for searching a target element in a sorted array. Maximum subarray problem: finding the contiguous subarray within a one-dimensional array of numbers that has the largest sum. Advantages of Divide and Conquer: It provides an efficient solution to complicated problems. It can solve more difficult problems than other approaches. It reduces the complexity of problems by breaking them down into smaller ones. It can be used for a wide range of problems across various domains. Disadvantages of Divide and Conquer: It can be more difficult to implement than other algorithms. It is not much useful for small problems. It requires additional time and space complexity for splitting up and merging data. What else can you read? Introduction to Divide and Conquer Algorithm – Data Structure and Algorithm Tutorials Tiling Problem using Divide and Conquer algorithm Like Article Suggest improvement Next Disjoint Set meaning and definition in DSA Share your thoughts in the comments Add Your Comment Please Login to comment...