When Speed Matters: Big O Basics

Big O: The Language of Scaling

Big O describes how time grows as data grows:

• O(1): Constant - same time regardless of size
• O(log N): Logarithmic - doubles data, adds one step
• O(N): Linear - doubles data, doubles time
• O(N log N): Linearithmic - efficient sorts
• O(N²): Quadratic - doubles data, 4× time

The notation ignores constants. It's about growth patterns, not exact times.