Operations on sorted ranges

The allure of sorting isn’t just about placing elements for the sake of neatness. Instead, it is about the power it grants us in subsequent operations—streamlined navigation, efficient querying, and enhanced manipulation capabilities. For C++ developers, understanding operations on sorted ranges is like acquiring a new set of superpowers. Armed with the C++ STL’s tools for these sorted sequences, the world of efficient algorithmic operations becomes an open field, ready for exploration.

So, what’s the big deal about having sorted ranges? Consider the difference between looking for a book in a disordered pile versus finding it on a neatly organized shelf. When the data are sorted, algorithms can take shortcuts, such as dividing and conquering, leading to logarithmic rather than linear-time complexities.

A primary technique leveraged for sorted ranges is binary search. In C++, std::lower_bound and std::upper_bound are your...