Implementing the Radix Sort Algorithm with Python

Radix sort is a non-comparative integer sorting algorithm. Its core idea is to distribute elements into buckets and collect them by each digit (from the least significant to the most significant). The basic steps are as follows: first, determine the number of digits of the maximum number in the array. Then, from the least significant digit to the most significant digit, perform "bucket distribution" (10 buckets for digits 0-9) and "collection" operations for each digit. Elements with the same current digit are placed into the same bucket, and the array is updated by collecting them in bucket order until all digits are processed. In Python, this is implemented by looping through the digits, calculating the current digit to distribute into buckets, and then collecting. The time complexity is O(d×(n+k)) (where d is the number of digits of the maximum number, n is the array length, and k=10), and the space complexity is O(n+k). It is suitable for integer arrays with few digits. When handling negative numbers, they can first be converted to positive numbers for sorting and then their signs can be restored.