What is the time complexity of insertion in a linked list?
Understand the Problem
The question is asking for the time complexity associated with the insertion operation in linked lists. It implies an interest in understanding how the efficiency of this operation changes based on factors such as the position of insertion (e.g., at the head, tail, or any specific index) and the type of linked list (singly or doubly linked).
Answer
O(1) for insertion at head, O(N) for other locations.
The final answer is O(1) for insertion at the head and O(N) for insertion at any other location.
Answer for screen readers
The final answer is O(1) for insertion at the head and O(N) for insertion at any other location.
More Information
Inserting at the head or tail of a linked list is generally constant time, but inserting at any specific position requires traversing the list.
Tips
A common mistake is assuming all insertions in a linked list have the same time complexity. The location of insertion significantly impacts the complexity.
Sources
- Time and Space Complexity of Linked List - GeeksforGeeks - geeksforgeeks.org
- Time Complexity Analysis of Linked List - OpenGenus IQ - iq.opengenus.org
- What is the average time complexity, for a single linked list, for ... - CS Stack Exchange - cs.stackexchange.com
