What factors determine the time complexity of an algorithm in Big O notation?

The time complexity of an algorithm in Big O notation is determined by the following factors:

• Input data size (n) — how the number of elements affects the number of operations.
• Number of operations performed by the algorithm — how many steps are required to process the data.
• Algorithm structure — loops, recursion, nested loops increase complexity.
• Type of operations — some operations may be more costly, but Big O considers asymptotics, not exact time.

For example, if an algorithm contains a nested loop over n elements, its time complexity will be O(n²). If there is a single loop over n elements, then O(n).