time complexity

<complexity>

The way in which the number of steps required by an algorithm varies with the size of the problem it is solving. Time complexity is normally expressed as an order of magnitude, e.g. O(N^2) means that if the size of the problem (N) doubles then the algorithm will take four times as many steps to complete.

See also computational complexity, space complexity.

Last updated: 1996-05-08

Nearby terms:

time bomb ♦ time complexity ♦ Time Complex Simulator ♦ time division multiple access

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