A Little Math For You

This is a brilliant play on Big O notation, the bane of every algorithm class! The computer nerd's algorithm is O(1) - constant time complexity, the holy grail of efficiency. The A-student's algorithm is O(N) - linear time that scales with input size, respectable but not perfect. And then there's "my algorithm" at O(N!) - factorial time complexity, which is basically computational suicide. It's the difference between your code finishing in microseconds versus the heat death of the universe. The exclamation point is both the factorial notation AND the appropriate reaction when you realize your algorithm will take longer to run than the lifespan of several stars.