Comparing Algorithms
Explore how to compare algorithms by measuring their time and space complexities. Understand the challenges of experimental evaluation and the importance of analytical methods like worst-case analysis. Learn to assess execution time based on primitive operations and analyze simple Java programs for time complexity.
Introduction
There are typically several different algorithms to solve a given computational problem. It is natural, then, to compare these alternatives. But how do we know if algorithm A is better than algorithm B?
Important Criteria: Time and Space
One important factor that determines the “goodness” of an algorithm is the amount of time it takes to solve a given problem. If algorithm A takes less time to solve the same problem than does algorithm B, then algorithm A is considered better.
Another important factor in comparing two algorithms is the amount of memory required to solve a given problem. The algorithm that requires less ...