title: How do we measure the input size of an algorithm?
body: <p>Since time complexity is a function of the size of the input, Assume we have input as an integer number,
  now since memory allocated to every integer is fixed(4 bytes), should not the time complexity be constant and not matter whether the input integer is 1 or 234345.</p>
  <p>I know the input size is a number of bits used to represent the input(which is logn(base 2)) but then why do we say that size allocated to an integer data type is 4 bytes(or 2 bytes).
  For example:
  since decimal number 100 in binary can be represented as 01100100 which is log100 bits why do we allocate 32 bits and waste the other 24 bits?</p>