In the Divide-and-Conquer Closest Pair of points algorithm, why is brute force typically used when the number of points in a subproblem is at most 3?
Brute force is asymptotically faster than divide-and-conquer
Dynamic programming cannot be applied
The closest pair is always known in advance
The overhead of further recursive division outweighs its benefit for very small inputs
Correct answer
The overhead of further recursive division outweighs its benefit for very small inputs
Question 11 of 16 in the IIT Madras BS Programming, Data Structures and Algorithms using Python (PDSA) Quiz 2 paper sat on 16 Aug 2026, in the May 2026 term (Programming, Data Indian Institute Of Technology, Madras - Bs In Data Science And Applications Structures And Algorithms Using Python 14 Aug 26). It carries 3 marks.
