Which of the following represents logarithmic time complexity?

Options

  • A. O(N)
  • B. O(log N)
  • C. O(N2)
  • D. More than one of the above
  • E. None of the above

Correct Answer (Detailed Explanation is Below)

B. O(log N)

Detailed Explanation

O(log N) is called logarithmic time complexity. It commonly occurs when an algorithm repeatedly reduces the problem size by a constant factor, such as dividing it by two. Binary search is a classic example: each comparison eliminates approximately half of the remaining elements. Logarithmic algorithms are highly efficient for large inputs because the number of operations grows slowly compared with linear or quadratic algorithms.