What is the complexity of inserting an element into the middle of a list?

The complexity of inserting an element into the middle of a list depends on the type of list:

• For a linked list (e.g., singly linked list) — to insert an element in the middle, you need to traverse the list to the desired position (O(n)), then change the links (O(1)). Total: O(n).

• For an array or array-based list (e.g., Python list) — access to an element by index is O(1), but insertion requires shifting all subsequent elements to the right, which results in O(n).

Thus, in Python, where list is implemented as a dynamic array, inserting in the middle is an operation with a time complexity of O(n).