Time Complexity of Population-Based Metaheuristics

This paper is a brief guide aimed at evaluating the time complexity of metaheuristic algorithms both mathematically and empirically. Starting with the mathematical foundational principles of time complexity analysis, key notations and fundamental concepts necessary for computing the time efficiency of a metaheuristic are introduced. The paper then applies these principles on three well-known metaheuristics, i.e. differential evolution, harmony search and the firefly algorithm. A procedure for the empirical analysis of metaheuristics' time efficiency is then presented. The procedure is then used to empirically analyze the computational cost of the three aforementioned metaheuristics. The pros and cons of the two approaches, i.e. mathematical and empirical analysis, are discussed.