What’s the mathematical intuition behind amortized analysis?
I understand the basic idea of amortized complexity, but I'm looking for a clearer theoretical explanation of why an operation that is occasionally very expensive can still have…
algorithm complexity
Why do we usually give the tightest Big O bound?
If an algorithm runs in O(n), then O(n²), O(n³), and even O(n!) are technically valid upper bounds too. So when someone asks for an algorithm's Big O complexity,…
Why do we use the tightest Big O bound?
If an algorithm runs in O(n), then O(n²), O(n³), and even O(n!) are technically valid upper bounds too. So why do people expect the smallest or tightest bound…
Is an Algorithm with O(N^-1) Runtime Complexity Possible?
I'm curious if there's such a thing as an algorithm that has a runtime complexity of O(N^-1). If such an algorithm does exist, how would you go about…