selection_sort

#! /usr/bin/python

import random

list = list()
t = 0 

for i in xrange(10):
	list.append(random.randrange(1,100,1))					#generate a list of ten random numbers between 1 and 100
print "The unsorted list : ",list

for j in xrange(len(list)-1):
	smallest = 999									#initialise to a highest number - infinity
	for i in range(j,len(list)):							#loop with lower range skipping assinged elements
		key = list[i]								
		if key < smallest:							#compare the current with the smallest element
			smallest = key							#if small save it over the pervious
			t = i									#save the position too
	list[t] = list[j]									#swap the smallest with current element
	list[j] = smallest
	
	print "The smallest element for ",j," : ",smallest

print "The sorted list Ascending : ",list

t = 0

for i in xrange(10):
	list[i] = random.randrange(1,100,1)						#generate a list of ten random numbers between 1 and 100
print "The unsorted list : ",list

for j in xrange(len(list)-1):
	greatest = -1									#initialise to a smallest number - infinity
	for i in range(j,len(list)):							#loop with lower range skipping assinged elements
		key = list[i]								
		if key > greatest:							#compare the current with the smallest element
			greatest = key							#if small save it over the pervious
			t = i									#save the position too
	list[t] = list[j]									#swap the smallest with current element
	list[j] = greatest
	
	print "The smallest element for ",j," : ",greatest

print "The sorted list Descending : ",list

Answer to the Exercise question 2.2-2 by Introduction to Algorithms by CLRS.
The algorithm only requires to run on n-1 elements instead of n because the n'th element gets automatically sorted in the process of finding and swapping the smallest or largest number.