(definition)
Definition: The sum of costs of an algorithm over all possible inputs divided by the number of possible inputs.
See also worst-case cost, amortized cost, average case, best-case cost.
Note: From Algorithms and Theory of Computation Handbook, page 1-26, Copyright © 1999 by CRC Press LLC. Appearing in the Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering and Technology, Copyright © 2000 CRC Press LLC.
Author: CRC-A
If you have suggestions, corrections, or comments, please get in touch with Paul E. Black.
Entry modified 2 September 2008.
HTML page formatted Tue Sep 2 09:12:40 2008.
Cite this as:
Algorithms and Theory of Computation Handbook, CRC Press LLC, 1999, "average-case cost", in
Dictionary of Algorithms and Data
Structures [online], Paul E. Black, ed.,
U.S. National Institute of
Standards and Technology. 2 September 2008. (accessed TODAY)
Available from: http://www.nist.gov/dads/HTML/averageCaseCost.html