What is the difference between worst-case, best-case, and average-case time complexity?

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What is the difference between worst-case, best-case, and average-case time complexity?

The worst-case time complexity refers to the maximum amount of time an algorithm takes to run on any input of size n. It represents the scenario where the algorithm performs the most number of operations.

The best-case time complexity refers to the minimum amount of time an algorithm takes to run on any input of size n. It represents the scenario where the algorithm performs the fewest number of operations.

The average-case time complexity refers to the expected amount of time an algorithm takes to run on a random input of size n. It represents the average performance of the algorithm over all possible inputs.

In summary, the worst-case time complexity represents the upper bound on the algorithm's performance, the best-case time complexity represents the lower bound, and the average-case time complexity represents the expected performance.