🎯 HOOK
The Magic Box
Imagine a magic box that gives you any item instantly if you know its number. Whether the box has 10 items or 10 million items, grabbing item #5 takes the exact same time.
🧪 EXPLORE
Instant Access Simulator
Try accessing an item from a small list vs a large list. Notice the speed!
Steps Taken
1
Time
Instant
💡 EXPLAIN
What is O(1)?
Constant time means the operation takes the same amount of time regardless of the input size.
- ✓ Accessing an array index
- ✓ Hash map lookup (average)
- ✓ Basic math operations
- ✓ Pushing to a stack
# O(1) Python Example
def get_first_item(items):
return items[0]
✏️ PRACTICE
Test Your Understanding
1. Which is O(1)?
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