RAIK 283: Data Structures &

Algorithms

Analysis of Algorithms
Dr. Ying Lu
ylu@cse.unl.edu

August 28, 2012

http://www.cse.unl.edu/~ylu/raik283/

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
RAIK 283: Data Structures &
Algorithms

 Giving credit where credit is due:

• Most of the lecture notes are based on the slides
from the Textbook’s companion website
http://www.aw-bc.com/info/levitin
• Several slides are from Jeff Edmonds of the
York University
• I have modified them and added new slides

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
The Time Complexity of an
Algorithm
 The Time Complexity of an
Algorithm

Specifies how the running time depends

on the size of the input
Purpose

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Purpose

 To estimate how long a program will run.

 To estimate the largest input that can reasonably be
given to the program.
 To compare the efficiency of different algorithms.
 To help focus on the parts of code that are executed
the largest number of times.
 To choose an algorithm for an application.

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Purpose (Example)

 Suppose a machine that performs a million floating-

point operations per second (106 FLOPS), then how
long an algorithm will run for an input of size n=50?
• 1) If the algorithm requires n2 such operations:

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Purpose (Example)
 Suppose a machine that performs a million floating-
point operations per second (106 FLOPS), then how
long an algorithm will run for an input of size n=50?
• 1) If the algorithm requires n2 such operations:
– 0.0025 second

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Purpose (Example)

 Suppose a machine that performs a million floating-

point operations per second (106 FLOPS), then how
long an algorithm will run for an input of size n=50?
• 1) If the algorithm requires n2 such operations:
– 0.0025 second
• 2) If the algorithm requires 2n such operations:
– A) Takes a similar amount of time (t < 1 sec)
– B) Takes a little bit longer time (1 sec < t < 1 year)
– C) Takes a much longer time (1 year < t)

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Purpose (Example)

 Suppose a machine that performs a million floating-

point operations per second (106 FLOPS), then how
long an algorithm will run for an input of size n=50?
• 1) If the algorithm requires n2 such operations:
– 0.0025 second
• 2) If the algorithm requires 2n such operations:
– over 35 years!

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Time Complexity Is a Function
Specifies how the running time depends on the size of the
input.

A function mapping

“size” of input

“time” T(n) executed .

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Definition of Time?

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Definition of Time

 # of seconds (machine, implementation dependent).

 # lines of code executed.

 # of times a specific operation is performed (e.g.,

addition).

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Theoretical analysis of time
efficiency
Time efficiency is analyzed by determining the number of
repetitions of the basic operation as a function of input size

 Basic operation: the operation that contributes most

towards the running time of the algorithm.
input size

T(n) ≈ copC(n)
running time execution time Number of times
for basic operation basic operation is
executed

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Input size and basic operation
examples

Problem Input size measure Basic operation

Search for key in a list of

n items

Multiply two matrices of

floating point numbers

Compute an

Graph problem

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Input size and basic operation
examples

Problem Input size measure Basic operation

Search for key in a list of Number of items in the

Key comparison
n items list: n

Multiply two matrices of

floating point numbers

Compute an

Graph problem

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Input size and basic operation
examples

Problem Input size measure Basic operation

Search for key in a list of Number of items in the

Key comparison
n items list: n

Multiply two matrices of Floating point

Dimensions of matrices
floating point numbers multiplication

Compute an

Graph problem

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Input size and basic operation
examples

Problem Input size measure Basic operation

Search for key in list of

Number of items in list n Key comparison
n items

Multiply two matrices of Floating point

Dimensions of matrices
floating point numbers multiplication

Floating point
Compute an n
multiplication

Graph problem

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Input size and basic operation
examples

Problem Input size measure Basic operation

Search for key in list of

Number of items in list n Key comparison
n items

Multiply two matrices of Floating point

Dimensions of matrices
floating point numbers multiplication

Floating point
Compute an n
multiplication

Visiting a vertex or
Graph problem #vertices and/or edges
traversing an edge

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Theoretical analysis of time
efficiency

Time efficiency is analyzed by determining the

number of repetitions of the basic operation as a
function of input size

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which Input of size n?

Efficiency also depends on the particular input

 For instance: search a key in a list of n letters

• Problem input: a list of n letters
• How many different inputs?

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which Input of size n?

Efficiency also depends on the particular input

For instance: search a key in a list of n letters

There are 26n inputs of size n.
Which do we consider
for the time efficiency C(n)?

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Best-case, average-case, worst-
case

 Worst case: W(n) – maximum over inputs of size n

 Best case: B(n) – minimum over inputs of size n

 Average case: A(n) – “average” over inputs of size n

• NOT the average of worst and best case
• Under some assumption about the probability distribution of all
possible inputs of size n, calculate the weighted sum of expected C(n)
(numbers of basic operation repetitions) over all possible inputs of size
n.

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Example: Sequential search
 Problem: Given a list of n elements and a search key K, find
an element equal to K, if any.
 Algorithm: Scan the list and compare its successive
elements with K until either a matching element is found
(successful search) or the list is exhausted (unsuccessful
search)
 Worst case

 Best case

 Average case

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
An example
 Compute gcd(m, n) by applying the algorithm based on
checking consecutive integers from min(m, n) down to
gcd(m, n)
 Input size?
 Best case?
 Worst case?
 Average case?

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Types of formulas for basic
operation count
 Exact formula
e.g., C(n) = n(n-1)/2

 Formula indicating order of growth with specific

multiplicative constant
e.g., C(n) ≈ 0.5 n2

 Formula indicating order of growth with unknown

multiplicative constant
e.g., C(n) ≈ cn2

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Types of formulas for basic
operation count
 Exact formula
e.g., C(n) = n(n-1)/2
 Formula indicating order of growth with specific
multiplicative constant
e.g., C(n) ≈ 0.5 n2
 Formula indicating order of growth with unknown
multiplicative constant
e.g., C(n) ≈ cn2

 Most important: Order of growth within a constant

multiple as n→∞

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Asymptotic growth rate
 A way of comparing functions that ignores constant factors
and small input sizes

 O(g(n)):

 Θ (g(n)):

 Ω(g(n)):

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Asymptotic growth rate
 A way of comparing functions that ignores constant factors
and small input sizes

 O(g(n)): class of functions f(n) that grow no faster than g(n)

 Θ (g(n)): class of functions f(n) that grow at same rate as g(n)

 Ω(g(n)): class of functions f(n) that grow at least as fast as g(n)

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Table 2.1

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Classifying Functions

Giving an idea of how fast a function

grows without going into too much detail.
Which are more alike?

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which are more alike?

Mammals

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which are more alike?

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which are more alike?

Dogs

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Classifying Animals

Vertebrates

Fish
Birds

Mammals

Reptiles
Dogs

Giraffe

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which are more alike?

n1000 n2 2n

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which are more alike?

n1000 n2 2n

Polynomials

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which are more alike?

1000n2 3n2 2n3

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which are more alike?

1000n2 3n2 2n3

Quadratic

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Classifying Functions?

Functions

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Classifying Functions

Functions

Poly Logarithmic

Exponential
Constant

Logarithmic

Polynomial

Factorial
5 5 log n (log n)5 n5 25n n!
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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Classifying Functions?

Polynomial

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Classifying Functions

Polynomial
Linear

Quadratic

?
Cubic
5n 5n2 5n3 5n4

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Logarithmic

 log n = # digits to write n

10
Differ only by a
 log n = # bits to write n
2 multiplicative
= 3.32 log10n constant
 log(n1000) = 1000 log(n)

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Poly Logarithmic

(log n)5 = log5 n

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which grows faster?

log1000 n n0.001

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Poly Logarithmic <<
Polynomial

log1000 n << n0.001

For sufficiently large n

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which grows faster?

10000 n 0.0001 n2

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Linear << Quadratic

10000 n << 0.0001 n2

For sufficiently large n

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which grows faster?

n1000 20.001 n

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Polynomial << Exponential

n1000 << 20.001 n

For sufficiently large n

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Ordering Functions

Functions

Poly Logarithmic

Exponential
Constant

Logarithmic

Polynomial

Factorial
<< << << << <<

5 << 5 log n (log n)5 n5 25n n!

<< << << <<
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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which Functions are Constant?

• 5
• 1,000,000,000,000
• 0.0000000000001
• -5
• 0
• 8 + sin(n)

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which Functions are Constant?

Yes • 5
Yes • 1,000,000,000,000
Yes • 0.0000000000001
Yes • -5
Yes • 0
No • 8 + sin(n)

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Which Functions are “Constant”?

The running time of the algorithm is a “Constant”

if it does not depend significantly
on the size of the input.
• 5
• 1,000,000,000,000
• 0.0000000000001
• -5
• 0
• 8 + sin(n)
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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
 Which Functions are “Constant”?

The running time of the algorithm is a “Constant”

It does not depend significantly
on the size of the input.
Yes • 5
Yes • 1,000,000,000,000 9
Yes • 0.0000000000001
No • 7
-5
No • 0 Lie in between
Yes • 8 + sin(n)
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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which Functions are Quadratic?

• n2
• 0.001 n2
• 1000 n2
• 5n2 + 3n + 2log n

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which Functions are Quadratic?

• n2
• 0.001 n2
• 1000 n2 Lie in between
• 5n2 + 3n + 2log n

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Which Functions are Quadratic?

• n2
• 0.001 n2
• 1000 n2
• 5n2 + 3n + 2log n
Ignore low-order terms
Ignore multiplicative constants.
Ignore "small" values of n.
Write θ(n2).
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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1
Examples

f(n) g(n) O(g(n))? Ω(g(n))? Θ(g(n))?

1) ln2n ne
2) nk cn
3) nsinn
n
4) 2n 2n/2
5) nlgc clgn
6) lg(n!) lg(nn)

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Design and Analysis of Algorithms Chapter 2.1