Design
&
Analysis
of
Algorithms
Lecture 5
Analysis of
Algorithm
Efficiency
Analysis Framework
Two kinds of efficiency:
Time efficiency, also called time complexity,
indicates how fast an algorithm in question runs.
Space efficiency, also called space complexity,
refers to the amount of memory units required by
the algorithm in addition to the space needed for
its input and output.
Analysis Framework
Measuring an Input’s Size
Almost all algorithms run longer on larger inputs.
For example
longer to sort larger arrays, multiply larger matrices, ...
Investigating an algorithm’s efficiency as a function
of some parameter n indicating the algorithm’s
input size
Analysis Framework
Measuring an Input’s Size
Exception-Example
For evaluating a polynomial p(x) = anxn + . . . + a0 of
degree n, it will be the polynomial’s degree or the
number of its coefficients, which is larger by 1 than
its degree.
Analysis Framework
Measuring an Input’s Size
Other Examples
Searching among n elements
Sorting n elements
computing the product of two n × n matrices
Primality testing of a number n [In such situations,
it is preferable to measure size by the number b of
bits in the n’s binary representation: b = log2n+1]
Analysis Framework
Orders of Growth
Analysis Framework
Worst-Case, Best-Case, and Average-
Case Efficiencies
The worst-case efficiency of an algorithm is its
efficiency for the worst-case input of size n, which
is an input (or inputs) of size n for which the
algorithm runs the longest among all possible
inputs of that size.
Analysis Framework
Worst-Case, Best-Case, and Average-
Case Efficiencies
The best-case efficiency of an algorithm is its
efficiency for the best-case input of size n, which is
an input (or inputs) of size n for which the
algorithm runs the fastest among all possible
inputs of that size.
Analysis Framework
Worst-Case, Best-Case, and Average-
Case Efficiencies
However, that neither the worst-case analysis
nor its best-case counterpart yields the necessary
information about an algorithm’s behavior on a
“typical” or “random” input.
This is the information that the average-case
efficiency seeks to provide.
Analysis Framework
Worst-Case, Best-Case, and Average-
Case Efficiencies
References
Chapter 2: Anany Levitin, “Introduction to the
Design and Analysis of Algorithms”, Pearson
Education, Third Edition, 2017
Chapter 2: Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E.
Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest and Clifford Stein,
“Introduction to Algorithms”, MIT Press/PHI
Learning Private Limited, Third Edition, 2012.
Homework
1. a. Consider the definition-based algorithm for
adding two n × n matrices. What is its basic operation?
How many times is it performed as a function of the
matrix order n? As a function of the total number of
elements in the input matrices?
b. Answer the same questions for the definition-based
algorithm for matrix multiplication.
2. Consider a variation of sequential search that scans
a list to return the number of occurrences of a given
search key in the list. Does its efficiency differ from the
efficiency of classic sequential search?
