FINDING K EXTREME VALUES IN CONSTANT PROCESSING TIME

A method includes determining a set of k extreme values of a dataset of elements in a constant time irrespective of the size of the dataset. A method creates a set of k indicators, each indicator associated with one multi-bit binary number in a large dataset of multi-bit binary numbers. The method includes arranging the multi-bit binary numbers such that each bit n of each said multi-bit binary number is located in a different row n of an associative memory array, starting from a row storing a most significant bit (MSB), adding an indicator to the set for each multi-bit binary number having a bit with an extreme value in the row and continuing the adding until said set contains k indicators.