Question

Whilst researching data structures for a project a few months back, I came across a term that I quite liked, that could be used as follows:

This [Algorithm/Solution/Data structure] is ?????ally-optimal

Meaning that the time (or space, depending on context) complexity of the solution being referred to is the same as the fundamental complexity as the problem it solves.

For example, if we ignore quantum computation and accept that problem of sorting is O(n log n) time in the general case, then with respect to time complexity heap sort is ?????ally-optimal because its complexity is also O(n log n), whereas bubble sort is not ?????ally-optimal because O(n^2) is worse than O(n log n).

I have no idea where I read it, I’ve so far failed to find it with google, and not being able to remember it has been bothering me ever since!

Answer 1

Maybe you are talking about Asymptotically optimal algorithm:

In computer science, an algorithm is said to be asymptotically optimal if, roughly speaking, for large inputs it performs at worst a constant factor (independent of the input size) worse than the best possible algorithm.