Space complexity analysis in Data Structures Theory - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to represent the space complexity of storing an array of size n.

Data Structures Theory

Space complexity = O([1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

An^2

B1

Clog n

Dn

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Confusing time complexity with space complexity.

Choosing constant space when space grows with input size.

The space needed to store an array grows linearly with the number of elements, so it is O(n).

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to express the space complexity of a recursive function that calls itself n times without extra storage.

Data Structures Theory

Space complexity = O([1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

An log n

Bn

C1

Dlog n

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Assuming recursion uses constant space.

Confusing the number of calls with the space used.

Each recursive call adds a new layer to the call stack, so the space grows linearly with n, making it O(n).

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the space complexity expression for a function that creates a 2D matrix of size n x n.

Data Structures Theory

Space complexity = O([1])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

An^2

Bn

Clog n

D1

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using O(n) instead of O(n²) for 2D structures.

Confusing time complexity with space complexity.

A 2D matrix with n rows and n columns stores n*n elements, so the space complexity is O(n²).

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to complete the space complexity of a function that stores a list and a dictionary each with n elements.

Data Structures Theory

Space complexity = O([1] + [2])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

An

B1

Dlog n

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Assuming dictionary uses constant space.

Not adding the space of both data structures.

Both the list and dictionary store n elements, so their space complexities add up to O(n + n) which simplifies to O(n).

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to complete the space complexity of a function that creates a list of size n, a set of size n, and a constant number of variables.

Data Structures Theory

Space complexity = O([1] + [2] + [3])

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

An

C1

Dlog n

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Counting constant variables as O(n).

Confusing logarithmic space with linear space.

The list and set each use O(n) space, and the constant variables use O(1). The total is O(n + n + 1), which simplifies to O(n).