cmpfunksjon

The term "cmpfunksjon" is a Norwegian word that translates to "comparison function" in English. It refers to a function that takes two arguments and returns a value indicating their relative order. Typically, a comparison function returns a negative value if the first argument is less than the second, zero if they are equal, and a positive value if the first argument is greater than the second.

Comparison functions are fundamental in computer science and are widely used in sorting algorithms, data structures like binary search trees, and other operations that require ordering elements. Many programming languages provide built-in mechanisms or allow the definition of custom comparison functions to tailor sorting and searching behavior to specific data types or requirements.

The exact return values of a comparison function can vary slightly between different implementations or programming languages. Some might use specific integer values like -1, 0, and 1, while others might return boolean values or specific enumerated types. The core purpose remains consistent: to establish a well-defined order between any two given inputs. This allows algorithms to efficiently organize and retrieve data.