What is Big O notation?
Q: What is Big O notation?
A: Big O notation is a way of comparing rates of growth of different functions, often used to compare the efficiency of different algorithms by calculating how much memory and time it takes to complete. It can also be used to identify how complex a problem is.
Q: Who was the first to use this notation?
A: The mathematician Paul Bachmann (1837-1920) was the first to use this notation in his book "Analytische Zahlentheorie" in 1896.
Q: What does Big O stand for?
A: Big O stands for "order of the function", which refers to the growth rate of functions.
Q: How is Big O used?
A: Big O notation is used to find an upper bound (the highest possible amount) on the function's growth rate, meaning it works out the longest time it will take to turn an input into an output. This means algorithms can be grouped by how long they take in worst-case scenarios, where the longest route will be taken every time.
Q: What are Landau symbols?
A: Landau symbols refer to Big O notation, named after Edmund Landau (1877-1938) who made this notation popular.
Q: Why is Big O useful?
A:Big O allows us to measure speed without having to run programs on computers since it always assumes worst-case scenarios, making it consistent regardless of hardware differences between computers. It also shows how efficient an algorithm is without having to actually run it on a computer.
