coursera review---algorithms,Stanford---03---master method

the master method provides a cookbook solution in asymptotic terms (using Big O notation) for recurrence relations of types that occur in the analysis of many divide and conquer algorithms

the following is the simplified expression:

a = number of recursive calls,(>=1)

b = input size shrink factor,(>1)

d = exponent in running time of "combine step",(>=0)

 

we can think these like this:

a = rate of subproblem proliferation

b^d = rate of work shrinkage per subproblem