Karatsuba Multiplication: 3 Recursive Calls Beat 4

n (digits): 100 Move cursor across chart
At n = 100:
Naive: 10,000
Karatsuba: 1,000
Speedup: 10×
Key values
nNaiveKaraSpeed
10100452.2×
10010,0001,00010×
1,0001,000,00031,62332×
10k100M1M100×
Complexity:
Naive: O(n²)
Karatsuba: O(n^log₂3) = O(n^1.585)
Crossover: n ≈ 20