Algorithms Research & Evidence-Based Practice 3

Question 1

What is the role of a 'systematic literature review' in algorithm research?

Accepted Answer

To comprehensively identify and synthesize existing research on a topic using a defined protocol

Answer

A systematic literature review follows a reproducible protocol to collect, filter, and synthesize all relevant prior work on a research question.

Question 2

In algorithm benchmarking, what is 'warm-up time' and why is it excluded from measurements?

Accepted Answer

Initial execution time skewed by JIT compilation or cache loading that doesn't reflect steady-state performance

Answer

Warm-up runs allow JIT compilers to optimize hot paths and caches to fill, so excluding them gives a fairer measure of steady-state performance.

Question 3

Which statistical test is commonly used to determine if the performance difference between two algorithms is statistically significant?

Accepted Answer

Wilcoxon signed-rank test

Answer

The Wilcoxon signed-rank test is a non-parametric test appropriate for comparing paired algorithm runtime samples that may not be normally distributed.

Question 4

What does 'reproducibility' mean in the context of algorithm experiments?

Accepted Answer

Independent researchers can re-run experiments and obtain consistent results

Answer

Reproducibility means another researcher, using the same code and data, can independently confirm the original experimental results.

Question 5

Why is it important to report both average-case and worst-case performance in algorithm research?

Accepted Answer

Average case reveals typical behavior while worst case reveals reliability under adversarial or pathological inputs

Answer

Average case describes expected real-world performance while worst case exposes fragility to specific inputs, together giving a complete picture.

Algorithms Practice Test

Algorithms Practice Test

Algorithms Research & Evidence-Based Practice 3