Is `pow(x, n)` or manual multiplication more efficient for squaring and cubing numbers?

What is more efficient: Using pow to square or just multiply it with itself?

In general, for small exponents (≤ 5), multiplying the number with itself is more efficient than using the pow function. However, for larger exponents, pow is more efficient.

This is because pow uses a more efficient algorithm when the exponent is large. For example, to calculate x^5, the pow function uses the following algorithm:

x^5 = x * x * x * x * x

However, multiplying the number with itself five times would require the following operations:

x * x * (x * (x * x))

As the exponent gets larger, the difference in efficiency between the two methods becomes more pronounced.

How about pow(x, 3) vs. x * x * x // etc?

For exponents ≤ 5, x * x * x is more efficient than pow(x, 3). However, for exponents ≥ 5, pow(x, 3) is more efficient.

The above is the detailed content of Is `pow(x, n)` or manual multiplication more efficient for squaring and cubing numbers?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!