The Benefits of Context in Processing Sets.
Gerald A. Wilson · Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) · 1977
The problem of finding unions and intersections of sets in an efficient manner pervades many areas of computer science. A profusion of examples can be found in both business and scientific computer applications. This paper discusses the importance of tailoring the algorithm to be employed to the intended application. A simple union and intersection algorithm is analyzed in detail, and the results of this analysis are compared to several similar analyses published by other researchers. It is shown that some relatively small changes in the nature of the problem conditions and/or the algorithm can lead to significant changes in the expected amount of work required to accomplish the desired task. (Author)