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knuthsat | 4 years ago

It's little o notation. It does not depend on n.

For example x^2 is in O(x^2) but is not in o(x^2).

discuss

order

dwohnitmok|4 years ago

When used in that equation it's meant to implicitly depend on n as edflsafoiewq points out. o(1) stands for o(f(n)) where f(n) = 1. Hence any function g(x) in the family of functions represented by o(1) must be less than c * f(x) for every positive c and all x greater than some m. This is exactly the statement that any function in the family of functions o(1) must tend to zero.

Whenever you see big-O/little-O/theta notation there is always an implied dependent variable, even for o(1)/O(1)/Theta(1).

omegalulw|4 years ago

I think a nuance people are missing is that for big O, it is sufficient for the existence of any positive C and x, but for small o there must always exist an x for every c.