What does the time complexity O(n log n) typically represent?

The time complexity O(n log n) is commonly associated with efficient sorting algorithms. This complexity arises from various divide-and-conquer strategies in sorting processes, where a dataset is recursively divided into smaller subsets to sort them individually and then combined.

Many well-known sorting algorithms operate within this time complexity, such as Merge Sort and Heap Sort. The "n" in the notation represents the number of elements being sorted, indicating that the algorithm must go through each element at least once. The "log n" factor usually results from the repeated division of the dataset, characteristic of recursive approaches typical in efficient sorting algorithms.

In the context of sorting, an O(n log n) algorithm is significantly faster than O(n^2) algorithms like Bubble Sort or Insertion Sort, especially as the size of the dataset grows. Therefore, this time complexity denotes algorithms that manage to maintain efficiency in practical scenarios, especially for larger data.

Understanding this complexity allows developers and computer scientists to choose appropriate algorithms when they need to sort large datasets efficiently, knowing that O(n log n) strikes a balance between performance and resource usage.