Empirical vs Theoretical Analysis
| Aspect | Theoretical | Empirical |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Growth rate (asymptotic) | Actual runtime (milliseconds) |
| Dependency | Machine-independent | Machine-dependent |
| Constant factors | Ignored | Captured |
| Input size | n → ∞ | Finite, practical sizes |
| Best use | Algorithm comparison | Production tuning |
Best practice: Use theoretical analysis to shortlist algorithms, then benchmark empirically on representative data with your target hardware.