Question

Given an array-based implementation of a list, what is the worst-case time complexity for the following operations:

Retrieving the first item in the list.

Answer 1

The worst-case time complexity for retrieving the first item in an array-based implementation of a list is O(1), meaning it takes constant time regardless of the list's size.

Step-by-step explanation:

The worst-case time complexity for retrieving the first item in an array-based implementation of a list is O(1), which is constant time. This means that regardless of the size of the list, the time it takes to retrieve the first item remains the same. This is because the first item in an array is always stored at the same index, typically the beginning of the array. Therefore, accessing it can be done in a single step, without any additional iterations or comparisons.It gives an upper bound on the resources required by the algorithm. In the case of running time, the worst-case time complexity indicates the longest running time performed by an algorithm given any input of size n, and thus guarantees that the algorithm will finish in the indicated period of time.