Question

Assuming the most efficient implementation possible, what is the worst case running time of insert, append, __getitem__ , pop, remove,count, and index for the built-in Python list?

Answer 1

The worst case running time for insert and append is O(n), while the worst case running time for __getitem__, pop, remove, count, and index is O(n).

Step-by-step explanation:

In Python, the built-in list uses a dynamic array implementation, which allows for efficient insert and append operations. The worst case running time for insert and append is O(n), where n is the number of elements in the list.

The __getitem__ operation, which is used to access an element at a specific index, has a worst case running time of O(1), as it directly retrieves the element based on the index.

The pop operation, which removes and returns an element at a specific index, has a worst case running time of O(n), as it needs to shift elements after the removed index.

The remove, count, and index operations all have a worst case running time of O(n), as they may need to iterate through the list to find the desired element or count the occurrences of an element.