Bits are usually stored linearly in space. We can say, thus, that the length of a memory chip, for example, is linearly proportional to the number of bits it can hold. Since signals must travel at finite speed in our universe, the time it takes to read the last element an array will always be proportional to the length of the array. Am I missing something?
How can random array access be considered $O(1)$ if bits must be stored in space and light travels at finite speed?
complexity theory;asymptotics