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From: Joe Keane <jgk@jgk.org>
Subject: Re: Teaching sorts [was Re: What's the best language to start with?]
Date: 1996/08/24
Message-ID: <4vn155$jln@shellx.best.com>#1/1
X-Deja-AN: 176207571
sender: jgk@best.com
references: <01bb8f1b$ce59c820$32ee6fce@timhome2>
 <TANMOY.96Aug21083507@qcd.lanl.gov> <01bb8f81$ecbec8e0$2bac399d@v-cnadc1>
 <fxtviec1u7m.fsf@isolde.mti.sgi.com> <4vfk6b$i6h@krusty.irvine.com>
 <fxtu3tw1pi0.fsf@isolde.mti.sgi.com> <TANMOY.96Aug21164211@qcd.lanl.gov>
 <4vg7m8$7u5@goanna.cs.rmit.edu.au> <4vi565$bhp@druid.borland.com>
 <dewar.840757527@schonberg>
summary: Use it right.
organization: none
keywords: define
newsgroups: comp.lang.c,comp.lang.c++,comp.unix.programmer,comp.lang.ada
Date: 1996-08-24T00:00:00+00:00
List-Id: <comp.lang.ada>


At the risk of repeating what others have said well, the O() notation
has been around for a long time and it has a consistent, agreed-on
definition.  It sets an asymptotic upper bound and that is all.

There's also Theta() notation, which is what's needed in many cases.
Both are useful and it makes no sense to argue which one is better.

It's true that some people say O() when they mean Theta(), but that's
just wrong usage, simple as that.  Why don't they use the right term,
except that they don't know it or they're just generally sloppy.

--
Joe Keane, amateur mathematician