An answer for quick and simple understanding (read the others for more details)

This concept is called branch prediction

Branch prediction is an optimization technique that predicts the path the code will take before it is known with certainty. This is important because during the code execution, the machine prefetches several code statements and stores them in the pipeline.

The problem arises in conditional branching, where there are two possible paths or parts of the code that can be executed.

When the prediction was true, the optimization technique worked out.

When the prediction was false, to explain it in a simple way, the code statement stored in the pipeline gets proved wrong ant the actual code has to be completely reloaded, which takes up a lot of time.

As common sense suggests, predictions of something sorted are way more accurate than predictions of something unsorted.

branch prediction visualisation:

sorted
unsorted

An answer for quick and simple understanding (read the others for more details)

This concept is called branch prediction

Branch prediction is an optimization technique that predicts the path the code will take before it is known with certainty. This is important because during the code execution, the machine prefetches several code statements and stores them in the pipeline.

The problem arises in conditional branching, where there are two possible paths or parts of the code that can be executed.

When the prediction was true, the optimization technique worked out.

When the prediction was false, to explain it in a simple way, the code statement stored in the pipeline gets proved wrong and the actual code has to be completely reloaded, which takes up a lot of time.

As common sense suggests, predictions of something sorted are way more accurate than predictions of something unsorted.

branch prediction visualisation:

sorted
unsorted

This concept is called branch prediction

Branch prediction is an optimization technique that predicts the path the code will take before it is known with certainty. This is important because during the code execution, the machine prefetches several code statements and stores them in the pipeline.

The problem arises in conditional branching, where there are two possible paths or parts of the code that can be executed.

When the prediction was true, the optimization technique worked out.

When the prediction was false, to explain it in a simple way, the code statement stored in the pipeline gets proved wrong ant the actual code has to be completely reloaded, which takes up a lot of time.

As common sense suggests, predictions of something sorted are way more accurate than predictions of something unsorted.

branch prediction visualisation:

sorted
unsorted

An answer for quick and simple understanding (read the others for more details)

This concept is called branch prediction

Branch prediction is an optimization technique that predicts the path the code will take before it is known with certainty. This is important because during the code execution, the machine prefetches several code statements and stores them in the pipeline.

The problem arises in conditional branching, where there are two possible paths or parts of the code that can be executed.

When the prediction was true, the optimization technique worked out.

When the prediction was false, to explain it in a simple way, the code statement stored in the pipeline gets proved wrong ant the actual code has to be completely reloaded, which takes up a lot of time.

As common sense suggests, predictions of something sorted are way more accurate than predictions of something unsorted.

branch prediction visualisation:

sorted
unsorted