Given a class of input objects, find efficient algorithms and data structures to answer a certain query about a set of input objects each time the input data is modified, i.e., objects are inserted or deleted.
Problems of this class have the following measures of complexity:
Initialization time time required for the initial construction of the data structure;
Insertion time time required for the update of the data structure when one more input element is added;
Deletion time time required for the update of the data structure when an input element is deleted;
Query time time required to answer a query;
Other operations specific to the problem in question
The overall set of computations for a dynamic problem is called a dynamic algorithm. Many algorithmic problems stated in terms of fixed input data have meaningful dynamic versions.
Special cases
Incremental algorithms, or online algorithms, are algorithms in which only additions of elements are allowed, possibly starting from the empty/trivial input data. Decremental algorithms are algorithms in which only deletions of elements are allowed, starting with an initialization of a full data structure. If both additions and deletions are allowed, the algorithm is sometimes called fully dynamic.
Examples
Maximal element
;Static problem : For a set of N numbers find the maximal one. The problem may be solved in O time. ;Dynamic problem : For an initial set of N numbers, dynamically maintain the maximal one when insertion and deletions are allowed. A well-known solution for this problem is using a self-balancing binary search tree. It takes space O, may be initially constructed in time O and provides insertion, deletion and query times in O. ;The priority queue maintenance problem: It is a simplified version of this dynamic problem, where one requires to delete only the maximal element. This version may do with simpler data structures.
Graphs
Given a graph, maintain its parameters, such as connectivity, maximal degree, shortest paths etc., when insertion and deletion of its edges are allowed.
