How does the selection sort algorithm work?

The selection sort algorithm works by repeatedly finding the minimum element from the unsorted portion of the list and swapping it with the element at the beginning of the unsorted portion. This process is repeated until the entire list is sorted.

Here is a step-by-step explanation of how the selection sort algorithm works:

1. Start with an unsorted list of elements.
2. Find the minimum element from the unsorted portion of the list.
3. Swap the minimum element with the first element of the unsorted portion.
4. Move the boundary of the sorted portion one element to the right.
5. Repeat steps 2-4 until the entire list is sorted.

To illustrate this process, let's consider an example:

Unsorted list: [5, 2, 9, 1, 3]

Step 1: The minimum element in the unsorted portion is 1. Swap it with the first element.
Sorted portion: [1]
Unsorted portion: [5, 2, 9, 3]

Step 2: The minimum element in the unsorted portion is 2. Swap it with the second element.
Sorted portion: [1, 2]
Unsorted portion: [5, 9, 3]

Step 3: The minimum element in the unsorted portion is 3. Swap it with the third element.
Sorted portion: [1, 2, 3]
Unsorted portion: [5, 9]

Step 4: The minimum element in the unsorted portion is 5. Swap it with the fourth element.
Sorted portion: [1, 2, 3, 5]
Unsorted portion: [9]

Step 5: The minimum element in the unsorted portion is 9. Swap it with the fifth element.
Sorted portion: [1, 2, 3, 5, 9]
Unsorted portion: []

Now, the entire list is sorted in ascending order.

The selection sort algorithm has a time complexity of O(n^2), where n is the number of elements in the list. It is not the most efficient sorting algorithm for large lists, but it is simple to understand and implement.