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OCR
11.1 EXPANDING THE ALGORYTHMICS COLLECTION 117 The array to be sorted can easily be “transformed” into a binary tree using the formula: the first element of the array is the root, the child nodes of every internal node i are located (if they exist) in the array at the [2i] and [2i + 1] positions. When programming this method, the translation of the array positions into binary tree nodes is straightforward with the given formula. We first tried to represent this algorithm linearly as well. Since we found the resulted choreography draft to be too complicated, we decided to explicitly visualize the tree structure and to illustrate the sorting strategy on this 2D scene (see Figure 11.1). At the beginning of the performance, the dance couples (representing the numbers) are arranged linearly as they are stored in the array. Asa next step, the array opens into a binary tree representing the heap. The operation sequence of the algorithm is visualized on this 2D structure. As the numbers reach their final positions, the corresponding dance couples return to the array. 11.1.2 Including new dance styles The first six choreographies are based on different folk dance styles, and the numbers are represented by individual dancers. In the case of heap sort, as mentioned above, we used a folk dance (“Mezéségi”) choreography, in which the numbers are represented by couples (see Figure 11.1). Besides, based on the large number of foreign views (from other regions than Transylvania), we decided to internationalize the music and the choreography of the demonstrative dances. This way, a new style was introduced, where algorithm visualizations make use of the rhythm and style of the wellknown southern Spanish flamenco (see figures 11.2-3). Flamenco was declared by UNESCO one of the “masterpieces of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity” (UNESCO, 2010). This art form fits perfectly into the cultural-artistic framework of our project since, according to the criteria for inscription into UNESCO, “it is strongly rooted in its community, strengthening its cultural identity and continuing to be passed down from one generation to the next”. It can also be considered that there was a dual change as flamenco is not exactly a folk dance, and it is from a different region. To increase the diversity of the AlgoRythmics collection, the last element we added illustrates the algorithm by a professional ballet choreography (see Figure 11.4). 11.1.3 Moving on to a new algorithm family As sorting algorithms were covered by the first seven choreographies, we decided to move on to another very commonly used algorithm family, the searching algorithms. These algorithms can be classified based on their mechanism of searching: linear, binary, and backtracking search.
