Ackermann function 2026-10-18
One convention for the Ackermann function on nonnegative integers is
Its two-argument recursion defines a computable function; fixing the convention matters when defining an inverse Ackermann function.
For the displayed Ackermann function convention, one possible inverse-growth scale is for positive integers . It gives through , from through , and from through . Several inverse Ackermann function conventions occur in algorithm analysis; changing convention can shift these small values without changing the very slow growth relevant to the disjoint-set data structure. This inverse-growth definition does not invert a two-variable function as an ordinary one-variable inverse function.