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Software Engineering vocabulary · Data Structures and Algorithms

Big O notation

Meaning in software engineering, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In software engineering, Big O notation means: A way of describing how the running time or memory use of an algorithm grows as the input gets bigger, for example O(1), O(n) or O(n²).

In Turkish: büyük O gösterimi

How it is used

Central in technical interviews and in code reviews that focus on performance. People read O(n) as 'O of n' or 'order n', and say things like 'That's O(n²); can we do better?'

Example sentences

  1. In Big O notation, looking up a key in a hash map is O(1) on average.

  2. The interviewer asked me to describe both solutions using Big O notation.

Common collocations

  • in Big O notation
  • Big O analysis
  • express in Big O notation
  • worst-case Big O
  • time complexityHow the number of steps an algorithm takes grows as the size of its input grows, usually written in Big O notation.
  • algorithmA clear, step-by-step method for solving a problem or doing a task, such as sorting a list or finding the shortest route between two points.
  • data structureA way of organizing data in memory, such as an array, list, tree or hash map, so that certain operations are fast and simple.
  • hash mapA data structure that stores key-value pairs and finds the value for a given key very quickly, usually in constant time.

More terms: Data Structures and Algorithms

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