I would assume that the "best" way to go really depends on what you really need, and by how much the calculated median is allowed to deviate from the real median.

You do realize that to find the real median, you always have to look at at least 50% of all elements in your set unless you do some preparation. If you can pre-sort your elements or use a heap, or a good estimate where your median will likely land, you might get away with throwing out more elements. But all of these approaches have drawbacks and you haven't stated what drawbacks are acceptable and which ones are not.

In reply to Re: need a faster median by Corion
in thread need a faster median by Anonymous Monk

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