The Biggest Mistake Students Make With Big O Notation
Struggling with Big O Notation? Here is the no-BS guide to understanding it, complete with real-world examples and study shortcuts.
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Emma Watkins · EdTech Specialist
Are you consistently losing points on Big O Notation because of confusing worst-case time with average-case time? If so, you're making the exact same error as 80% of your class.
Did you make this error?
- The Trap: confusing worst-case time with average-case time
- The Proof: Read this scenario: QuickSort is O(N log N) on average, but if you give it a reverse-sorted array, it degrades to O(N^2). Big O is the upper bound.
If your logic doesn't match the proof above, you've fallen for the trap. Erase it and start over.
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