Homogeneous and Non Homogeneous Algorithms

Abstract

Motivated by recent best case analyses for some sorting algorithms and based on the type of complexity we partition the algorithms into two classes: homogeneous and non homogeneous algorithms. Although both classes contain algorithms with worst and best cases, homogeneous algorithms behave uniformly on all instances. This partition clarifies in a completely mathematical way the previously mentioned terms and reveals that in classifying an algorithm as homogeneous or not best case analysis is equally important with worst case analysis.