Size of the Input
Consider the following program:
public class Arrays {
public static <T> void print(T[] arr) {
for (int i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) {
System.out.println(arr[i]);
}
}
}
To determine the runtime of Arrays.print
, we need to know the size of the input array (arr
).
The runtime here, as in many cases, is a function of the input size.
Exercise Count the number of steps Arrays.print
takes to execute. Write the count as a function $T(N)$ where $N$ is the size of the input array.
Solution
public class Arrays {
public static <T> void print(T[] arr) {
for (int i = 0; i < arr.length; i++) { // 1 + N+1 + N
System.out.println(arr[i]); // 1 * N
}
}
}
$$ T(N) = 3N + 2 $$
We assumed memory access is "free" under the RAM model (i.e., arr.length
and arr[i]
are free operations).