NCERT Book Class 12 Computer Science Chapter 5 Sorting PDF

Download the Class 12 Computer Science Chapter 5 Sorting NCERT Book PDF free, straight from the official NCERT textbook and matched to the 2026-27 CBSE syllabus. This is the original chapter, with the exact text on bubble sort, selection sort and insertion sort, the three Python programs, the pass-by-pass figures, and the note on time complexity that the board exam is set from.

• The full NCERT chapter on sorting, with all three worked Python programs and the Figure 5.1 to 5.3 pass diagrams.
• Includes the back-exercise of 6 questions on bubble sort, selection sort, insertion sort and their real-life uses.
• Pairs with the NCERT Solutions, Notes and Handwritten Notes linked lower on this page.

This is the official NCERT Computer Science Chapter 5 text, hosted free for Class 12 students and matched to the 2026-27 CBSE syllabus.

What Is Inside the Sorting NCERT Book Chapter

Sorting is the fifth chapter of the Class 12 Computer Science NCERT textbook. It teaches how to arrange a collection of elements in a chosen order, ascending or descending, using three classic methods. The chapter mixes plain explanation with short Python programs and a pass diagram for each method, so students learn every algorithm by reading a small example first. The list below shows what the original chapter holds, so students know what they are downloading.

• What sorting means: ordering numbers, strings or records, like words in a dictionary or seats by roll number, so searching becomes easy.
• Bubble sort: compares adjacent elements and swaps the unordered pairs over n minus 1 passes, with the largest element bubbling up each pass.
• Selection sort and insertion sort: the other two methods, each splitting the list into a sorted and an unsorted part and growing the sorted part one element at a time.
• Time complexity: why all three methods run in n squared time because each uses a nested loop.

Reading the original chapter matters because the board marks code and pass traces against the NCERT style. A student who has read the textbook once will write the sort programs and draw the pass diagrams the way the examiner expects, which the Notes and Solutions then reinforce.

Topic List of the NCERT Chapter

The chapter follows a clear order, and the PDF keeps the NCERT section headings. The table below lists each section with a one-line note, so students can see the shape of the chapter before they read. It also helps with planning revision.

The most exam-heavy sections are the three sort programs and the pass figures, so students should read those slowly. The pass diagrams in Figure 5.1 to 5.3 come up in nearly every board paper, so it is worth tracing them by hand rather than just glancing at them.

The Three Sort Algorithms and Python Programs from the NCERT Chapter

The chapter teaches each method twice: once as a numbered algorithm and once as a runnable Python program. All three use the same sample list numList = [8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4], so students can compare how each method moves the elements. The table below sums up the core idea of each method before the exact programs from the PDF, so students recognise the form the board copies.

Bubble Sort (Program 5-1)

Bubble sort compares each pair of adjacent elements and swaps them if they are out of order. After every pass the next largest element settles at its place, so the list needs n minus 1 passes. This is exactly Program 5-1 from the chapter:

def bubble_Sort(list1):
    n = len(list1)
    for i in range(n):                 # Number of passes
        for j in range(0, n-i-1):
            # last i elements are already sorted in previous passes
            if list1[j] > list1[j+1]:
                # swap element at jth position with (j+1)th position
                list1[j], list1[j+1] = list1[j+1], list1[j]

numList = [8, 7, 13, 1, -9, 4]
bubble_Sort(numList)
print("The sorted list is :")
for i in range(len(numList)):
    print(numList[i], end=" ")

The sorted list is :
-9 1 4 7 8 13

Selection Sort (Program 5-2)

Selection sort splits the list into a sorted left part and an unsorted right part. Each pass scans the unsorted part to find the smallest element and swaps it to the front of the unsorted part. The chapter uses a flag so a swap happens only when a smaller element is actually found:

def selection_Sort(list2):
    flag = 0                # to decide when to swap
    n = len(list2)
    for i in range(n):                 # Traverse through all list elements
        min = i
        for j in range(i + 1, len(list2)):   # the left elements
            # are already sorted in previous passes
            if list2[j] < list2[min]:   # element at j is smaller
                min = j                 # than the current min element
                flag = 1
        if flag == 1:       # next smallest element is found
            list2[min], list2[i] = list2[i], list2[min]

Insertion Sort (Program 5-3)

Insertion sort also keeps a sorted and an unsorted part. It picks each element, stores it in temp, then shifts the larger sorted elements one step right to open a gap, and drops temp into that gap. This is Program 5-3:

def insertion_Sort(list3):
    n = len(list3)
    for i in range(n):      # Traverse through all elements
        temp = list3[i]
        j = i-1
        while j >= 0 and temp < list3[j]:
            list3[j+1] = list3[j]
            j = j-1
        list3[j+1] = temp

How to Download the Class 12 Computer Science Chapter 5 PDF

The PDF is free and easy to save on any device. The steps below show students how to get the chapter and keep it for offline reading. No login or payment is needed at any stage.

• Open the download card at the top of this page and tap the PDF button.
• Save to your device so you can read the chapter offline, even without internet.
• Print if you prefer paper: the pass diagrams and the three programs stay clear when printed.
• Pair it with the NCERT Solutions linked below to attempt the 6 back-exercise questions as you read.

Many students search for the class 12 computer science chapter 5 sorting pdf the night before a coding test, so a saved copy means you can revise even when the network is down. Keep the textbook PDF and the solved answers together for a full self-study set.

Why Read the Original NCERT Chapter

Notes and solutions are useful, but the original chapter is the source they all come from. There are clear reasons to read it at least once. The points below explain why the textbook still matters even when quick notes are everywhere.

• Board style: the chapter's own code, like the swap line list1[j], list1[j+1] = list1[j+1], list1[j], is the safest pattern to copy in the exam.
• Full context: the chapter explains why the inner loop runs to n-i-1, which notes often cut for space.
• Worked figures: the pass diagrams in Figure 5.1 to 5.3 are exactly what board trace questions are built from.
• Exercise: the back-exercise is the exact set the Solutions answer, so reading it first sharpens recall.

The honest takeaway is that the textbook is the master copy. Read it once to understand each sort, then move to the Notes for revision and the Solutions for practice. That order builds stronger sorting answers than starting from notes alone.

How the Book PDF Pairs with the Solutions and Notes

The Book PDF gives you the original text, the three programs and the pass figures. To study the chapter fully, use it with the other resources for the same chapter, all linked in the table below.

Tip: read the NCERT chapter first for the full picture, then revise from the Notes and test yourself with the Solutions. The textbook is where every good sorting answer starts.

All NCERT Book PDFs for Class 12 Computer Science

The table links the NCERT Book PDF for every chapter in Class 12 Computer Science, so students can download the whole course in one place. Sorting is highlighted, and it sits between the Queue chapter before it and the Searching chapter after it.

FAQs on Sorting NCERT Book PDF