Finding the Maximum Suffix with Fewer Comparisons

摘要

It is shown how to compute the lexicographically maximum suffix of a string of n ≥ 2 characters over a totally ordered alphabet using at most (4/3)n — 5/3 three-way character comparisons. The best previous bound, which has stood unchallenged for more than 25 years, is (3/2)n — O(l) comparisons. We also prove an interesting property of an algorithm for computing the maximum suffix both with respect to a total order < and with respect to its inverse order >. String algorithms, maximum suffix, character comparisons