What is divide and conquer method?

The divide and conquer method is an algorithmic strategy that breaks a problem into smaller, more manageable subproblems, solves each subproblem independently, and then combines their solutions to solve the original problem. This approach is particularly effective for problems that can be recursively divided, such as sorting (e.g., quicksort, mergesort) and searching (e.g., binary search). By reducing the problem size at each step, it often leads to more efficient algorithms compared to straightforward solutions. The efficiency is typically analyzed using recurrence relations, revealing how the method scales with larger inputs.