When can an algorithm have square root(n) time complexity?

Question

Can someone give me example of an algorithm that has square root(n) time complexity. What does square root time complexity even mean?

Answer 1

Prime numbers

As mentioned in some other answers, some basic things related to prime numbers take O(sqrt(n)) time:

1. Find number of divisors
2. Find sum of divisors
3. Find Euler's totient

Below I mention two advanced algorithms which also bear sqrt(n) term in their complexity.

MO's Algorithm

try this problem: Powerful array

My solution:

#include 
using namespace std;
const int N = 1E6 + 10, k = 500;

struct node {
    int l, r, id;
    bool operator<(const node &a) {
        if(l / k == a.l / k) return r < a.r;
        else return l < a.l;
    }
} q[N];

long long a[N], cnt[N], ans[N], cur_count;
void add(int pos) {
    cur_count += a[pos] * cnt[a[pos]];
    ++cnt[a[pos]];
    cur_count += a[pos] * cnt[a[pos]];
}
void rm(int pos) {
    cur_count -= a[pos] * cnt[a[pos]];
    --cnt[a[pos]];
    cur_count -= a[pos] * cnt[a[pos]];
}

int main() {
    int n, t;
    cin >> n >> t;
    for(int i = 1; i <= n; i++) {
        cin >> a[i];
    }
    for(int i = 0; i < t; i++) {
        cin >> q[i].l >> q[i].r;
        q[i].id = i;
    }
    sort(q, q + t);
    memset(cnt, 0, sizeof(cnt));
    memset(ans, 0, sizeof(ans));

    int curl(0), curr(0), l, r;
    for(int i = 0; i < t; i++) {
        l = q[i].l;
        r = q[i].r;

/* This part takes O(n * sqrt(n)) time */
        while(curl < l)
            rm(curl++);
        while(curl > l)
            add(--curl);
        while(curr > r)
            rm(curr--);
        while(curr < r)
            add(++curr);

        ans[q[i].id] = cur_count;
    }
    for(int i = 0; i < t; i++) {
        cout << ans[i] << '\n';
    }
    return 0;
}

Query Buffering

try this problem: Queries on a Tree

My solution:

#include 
using namespace std;
const int N = 2e5 + 10, k = 333;

vector t[N], ht;
int tm_, h[N], st[N], nd[N];
inline int hei(int v, int p) {
    for(int ch: t[v]) {
        if(ch != p) {
            h[ch] = h[v] + 1;
            hei(ch, v);
        }
    }
}
inline void tour(int v, int p) {
    st[v] = tm_++;
    ht.push_back(h[v]);
    for(int ch: t[v]) {
        if(ch != p) {
            tour(ch, v);
        }
    }
    ht.push_back(h[v]);
    nd[v] = tm_++;
}

int n, tc[N];
vector loc[N];
long long balance[N];
vector> buf;
inline long long cbal(int v, int p) {
    long long ans = balance[h[v]];
    for(int ch: t[v]) {
        if(ch != p) {
            ans += cbal(ch, v);
        }
    }
    tc[v] += ans;
    return ans;
}
inline void bal() {
    memset(balance, 0, sizeof(balance));
    for(auto arg: buf) {
        balance[arg.first] += arg.second;
    }
    buf.clear();
    cbal(1,1);
}

int main() {
    int q;
    cin >> n >> q;
    for(int i = 1; i < n; i++) {
        int x, y; cin >> x >> y;
        t[x].push_back(y); t[y].push_back(x);
    }
    hei(1,1);
    tour(1,1);
    for(int i = 0; i < ht.size(); i++) {
        loc[ht[i]].push_back(i);
    }
    vector::iterator lo, hi;
    int x, y, type;
    for(int i = 0; i < q; i++) {
        cin >> type;
        if(type == 1) {
            cin >> x >> y;
            buf.push_back(make_pair(x,y));
        }
        else if(type == 2) {
            cin >> x;
            long long ans(0);
            for(auto arg: buf) {
                hi = upper_bound(loc[arg.first].begin(), loc[arg.first].end(), nd[x]);
                lo = lower_bound(loc[arg.first].begin(), loc[arg.first].end(), st[x]);
                ans += arg.second * (hi - lo);
            }
            cout << tc[x] + ans/2 << '\n';
        }
        else assert(0);

        if(i % k == 0) bal();
    }
}