In the analysis of algorithms, the master theorem provides a solution in asymptotic terms (using Big O notation) for recurrence relations of types that occur in the analysis of many divide and conquer algorithms. It was popularized by the canonical algorithms textbook Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein, in which it is both introduced and proved. Not all recurrence relations can be solved with the use of the master theorem; its generalizations include the Akra–Bazzi method.