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When discussing the efficiency of an algorithm, there are three cases that need to be considered: the best case, the worst case, and the average case. The best case is how the algorithm will work on the best possible input. The worst case is how the algorithm runs on the worst possible input. And the average case is how it runs on most inputs. When comparing algorithms we very rarely use the best case, often use the average case and sometimes use the worst case.

This is how we measure the efficiency of an algorithm. Such measurements will be used heavily in the rest of the guide.

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