Q:

Issue with Java threads, using Runnable or Thread

I'm trying to implement multi-threading using merge sort.  I have it making new threads at the point where it cuts an array in half.
The array is sorted depending on the:
[size of the array] vs [how many times I create new threads]
For instance:  the array will be sorted if I let it create merely two threads on an array of size 70, but if I let it create 6, it will come back unsorted.  One thing I thought it might be is that the threads weren't sync'd, but I used threadName.join()
here is some code:           merge.java
import java.util.Random;

public class merge implements Runnable {
    int[] list;
    int length;
    int countdown;

    public merge(int size, int[] newList, int numberOfThreadReps, int firstMerge) {
        length = size;
        countdown = numberOfThreadReps;
        list = newList;
        if (firstMerge == 1)
            threadMerge(0, length - 1);
    }

    public void run() {
        threadMerge(0, length - 1);
    }

    public void printList(int[] list, int size) {
        for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
            System.out.println(list[i]);
        }
    }

    public void regMerge(int low, int high) {
        if (low < high) {
            int middle = (low + high) / 2;
            regMerge(low, middle);
            regMerge(middle + 1, high);
            mergeJoin(low, middle, high);
        }
    }

    public void mergeJoin(int low, int middle, int high) {
        int[] helper = new int[length];

        for (int i = low; i <= high; i++) {
            helper[i] = list[i];
        }

        int i = low;
        int j = middle + 1;
        int k = low;

        while (i <= middle && j <= high) {
            if (helper[i] <= helper[j]) {
                list[k] = helper[i];
                i++;
            } else {
                list[k] = helper[j];
                j++;
            }
            k++;
        }
        while (i <= middle) {
            list[k] = helper[i];
            k++;
            i++;
        }
        helper = null;
    }

    public void threadMerge(int low, int high) {
        if (countdown > 0) {
            if (low < high) {
                countdown--;
                int middle = (low + high) / 2;
                int[] first = new int[length / 2];
                int[] last = new int[length / 2 + ((length % 2 == 1) ? 1 : 0)];
                for (int i = 0; i < length / 2; i++)
                    first[i] = list[i];
                for (int i = 0; i < length / 2 + ((length % 2 == 1) ? 1 : 0); i++)
                    last[i] = list[i + length / 2];

                merge thread1 = new merge(length / 2, first, countdown, 0);// 0
                                                                            // is
                                                                            // so
                                                                            // that
                                                                            // it
                                                                            // doesn't
                                                                            // call
                                                                            // threadMerge
                                                                            // twice
                merge thread2 = new merge(length / 2
                        + ((length % 2 == 1) ? 1 : 0), last, countdown, 0);

                Thread merge1 = new Thread(thread1);
                Thread merge2 = new Thread(thread2);
                merge1.start();
                merge2.start();

                try {
                    merge1.join();
                    merge2.join();
                } catch (InterruptedException ex) {
                    System.out.println("ERROR");
                }

                for (int i = 0; i < length / 2; i++)
                    list[i] = thread1.list[i];
                for (int i = 0; i < length / 2 + ((length % 2 == 1) ? 1 : 0); i++)
                    list[i + length / 2] = thread2.list[i];

                mergeJoin(low, middle, high);
            } else {
                System.out.println("elsd)");
            }
        } else {
            regMerge(low, high);
        }
    }
}

proj4.java
import java.util.Random;

public class proj4 {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        int size = 70000;
        int threadRepeat = 6;
        int[] list = new int[size];
        list = fillList(list, size);
        list = perm(list, size);
        merge mergy = new merge(size, list, threadRepeat, 1);
        // mergy.printList(mergy.list,mergy.length);
        for (int i = 0; i < mergy.length; i++) {
            if (mergy.list[i] != i) {
                System.out.println("error)");
            }
        }
    }

    public static int[] fillList(int[] list, int size) {
        for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
            list[i] = i;
        return list;
    }

    public static int[] perm(int[] list, int size) {
        Random generator = new Random();
        int rand = generator.nextInt(size);
        int temp;
        for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
            rand = generator.nextInt(size);
            temp = list[i];
            list[i] = list[rand];
            list[rand] = temp;
        }
        return list;
    }

}

so  TL;DR     my array isn't getting sorted by a multithreaded merge sort based on the size of the array and the number of times I split the array by using threads...why is that?

A:

Wow.  This was an interesting exercise in masochism.  I'm sure you've moved on but I thought for posterity...
The bug in the code is in mergeJoin with the middle argument.  This is fine for regMerge but in threadMerge the middle passed in is (low + high) / 2 instead of (length / 2) - 1.  Since in threadMerge low is always 0 and high is length - 1 and the first array has (length / 2) size. This means that for lists with an odd number of entries, it will often fail depending on randomization.
There are also a number of style issues which makes this program significantly more complicated and error prone:

The code passes around a size of the arrays when Java has a convenient list.length call which would be more straightforward and safer.
The code duplicates calculations (see length/2) in a number of places.
The code should be able to sort inside the array without creating sub-arrays.
Classes should start with an uppercase letter (Merge instead of merge)
firstMerge should be a boolean
The code names the Thread variable merge1 and the merge variable thread1.  Gulp.
The merge constructor calling threadMerge(0,length -1) is strange.  I would just put that call after the new call back in proj4.  Then firstMerge can be removed.
I would consider switching to having high be one past the maximum value instead of the maximum.  We tend to think like for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) more than i <= 9.  Then the code can have j go from low to < middle and k from middle to < high.  Better symmetry.

Best of luck.

