Why is 2 * (i * i) faster than 2 * i * i in Java?

Question

The following Java program takes on average between 0.50 secs and 0.55 secs to run:

public static void main(String[] args) {
    long startTime = System.nano         


        

Answer 1

I tried a JMH using the default archetype: I also added an optimized version based on Runemoro's explanation.

@State(Scope.Benchmark)
@Warmup(iterations = 2)
@Fork(1)
@Measurement(iterations = 10)
@OutputTimeUnit(TimeUnit.NANOSECONDS)
//@BenchmarkMode({ Mode.All })
@BenchmarkMode(Mode.AverageTime)
public class MyBenchmark {
  @Param({ "100", "1000", "1000000000" })
  private int size;

  @Benchmark
  public int two_square_i() {
    int n = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
      n += 2 * (i * i);
    }
    return n;
  }

  @Benchmark
  public int square_i_two() {
    int n = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
      n += i * i;
    }
    return 2*n;
  }

  @Benchmark
  public int two_i_() {
    int n = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < size; i++) {
      n += 2 * i * i;
    }
    return n;
  }
}

The result are here:

Benchmark                           (size)  Mode  Samples          Score   Score error  Units
o.s.MyBenchmark.square_i_two           100  avgt       10         58,062         1,410  ns/op
o.s.MyBenchmark.square_i_two          1000  avgt       10        547,393        12,851  ns/op
o.s.MyBenchmark.square_i_two    1000000000  avgt       10  540343681,267  16795210,324  ns/op
o.s.MyBenchmark.two_i_                 100  avgt       10         87,491         2,004  ns/op
o.s.MyBenchmark.two_i_                1000  avgt       10       1015,388        30,313  ns/op
o.s.MyBenchmark.two_i_          1000000000  avgt       10  967100076,600  24929570,556  ns/op
o.s.MyBenchmark.two_square_i           100  avgt       10         70,715         2,107  ns/op
o.s.MyBenchmark.two_square_i          1000  avgt       10        686,977        24,613  ns/op
o.s.MyBenchmark.two_square_i    1000000000  avgt       10  652736811,450  27015580,488  ns/op

On my PC (Core i7 860 - it is doing nothing much apart from reading on my smartphone):

• n += i*i then n*2 is first
• 2 * (i * i) is second.

The JVM is clearly not optimizing the same way than a human does (based on Runemoro's answer).

Now then, reading bytecode: javap -c -v ./target/classes/org/sample/MyBenchmark.class

• Differences between 2*(i*i) (left) and 2*i*i (right) here: https://www.diffchecker.com/cvSFppWI
• Differences between 2*(i*i) and the optimized version here: https://www.diffchecker.com/I1XFu5dP

I am not expert on bytecode, but we iload_2 before we imul: that's probably where you get the difference: I can suppose that the JVM optimize reading i twice (i is already here, and there is no need to load it again) whilst in the 2*i*i it can't.

Answer 2

The two methods of adding do generate slightly different byte code:

  17: iconst_2
  18: iload         4
  20: iload         4
  22: imul
  23: imul
  24: iadd

For 2 * (i * i) vs:

  17: iconst_2
  18: iload         4
  20: imul
  21: iload         4
  23: imul
  24: iadd

For 2 * i * i.

And when using a JMH benchmark like this:

@Warmup(iterations = 5, batchSize = 1)
@Measurement(iterations = 5, batchSize = 1)
@Fork(1)
@BenchmarkMode(Mode.AverageTime)
@OutputTimeUnit(TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
@State(Scope.Benchmark)
public class MyBenchmark {

    @Benchmark
    public int noBrackets() {
        int n = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < 1000000000; i++) {
            n += 2 * i * i;
        }
        return n;
    }

    @Benchmark
    public int brackets() {
        int n = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < 1000000000; i++) {
            n += 2 * (i * i);
        }
        return n;
    }

}

The difference is clear:

# JMH version: 1.21
# VM version: JDK 11, Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM, 11+28
# VM options: <none>

Benchmark                      (n)  Mode  Cnt    Score    Error  Units
MyBenchmark.brackets    1000000000  avgt    5  380.889 ± 58.011  ms/op
MyBenchmark.noBrackets  1000000000  avgt    5  512.464 ± 11.098  ms/op

What you observe is correct, and not just an anomaly of your benchmarking style (i.e. no warmup, see How do I write a correct micro-benchmark in Java?)

Running again with Graal:

# JMH version: 1.21
# VM version: JDK 11, Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM, 11+28
# VM options: -XX:+UnlockExperimentalVMOptions -XX:+EnableJVMCI -XX:+UseJVMCICompiler

Benchmark                      (n)  Mode  Cnt    Score    Error  Units
MyBenchmark.brackets    1000000000  avgt    5  335.100 ± 23.085  ms/op
MyBenchmark.noBrackets  1000000000  avgt    5  331.163 ± 50.670  ms/op

You see that the results are much closer, which makes sense, since Graal is an overall better performing, more modern, compiler.

So this is really just up to how well the JIT compiler is able to optimize a particular piece of code, and doesn't necessarily have a logical reason to it.

Answer 3

Byte codes: https://cs.nyu.edu/courses/fall00/V22.0201-001/jvm2.html Byte codes Viewer: https://github.com/Konloch/bytecode-viewer

On my JDK (Windows 10 64 bit, 1.8.0_65-b17) I can reproduce and explain:

public static void main(String[] args) {
    int repeat = 10;
    long A = 0;
    long B = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < repeat; i++) {
        A += test();
        B += testB();
    }

    System.out.println(A / repeat + " ms");
    System.out.println(B / repeat + " ms");
}


private static long test() {
    int n = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++) {
        n += multi(i);
    }
    long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
    for (int i = 0; i < 1000000000; i++) {
        n += multi(i);
    }
    long ms = (System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime);
    System.out.println(ms + " ms A " + n);
    return ms;
}


private static long testB() {
    int n = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i < 1000; i++) {
        n += multiB(i);
    }
    long startTime = System.currentTimeMillis();
    for (int i = 0; i < 1000000000; i++) {
        n += multiB(i);
    }
    long ms = (System.currentTimeMillis() - startTime);
    System.out.println(ms + " ms B " + n);
    return ms;
}

private static int multiB(int i) {
    return 2 * (i * i);
}

private static int multi(int i) {
    return 2 * i * i;
}

Output:

...
405 ms A 785527736
327 ms B 785527736
404 ms A 785527736
329 ms B 785527736
404 ms A 785527736
328 ms B 785527736
404 ms A 785527736
328 ms B 785527736
410 ms
333 ms

So why? The byte code is this:

 private static multiB(int arg0) { // 2 * (i * i)
     <localVar:index=0, name=i , desc=I, sig=null, start=L1, end=L2>

     L1 {
         iconst_2
         iload0
         iload0
         imul
         imul
         ireturn
     }
     L2 {
     }
 }

 private static multi(int arg0) { // 2 * i * i
     <localVar:index=0, name=i , desc=I, sig=null, start=L1, end=L2>

     L1 {
         iconst_2
         iload0
         imul
         iload0
         imul
         ireturn
     }
     L2 {
     }
 }

The difference being: With brackets (2 * (i * i)):

• push const stack
• push local on stack
• push local on stack
• multiply top of stack
• multiply top of stack

Without brackets (2 * i * i):

• push const stack
• push local on stack
• multiply top of stack
• push local on stack
• multiply top of stack

Loading all on the stack and then working back down is faster than switching between putting on the stack and operating on it.

Answer 4

Interesting observation using Java 11 and switching off loop unrolling with the following VM option:

-XX:LoopUnrollLimit=0

The loop with the 2 * (i * i) expression results in more compact native code¹:

L0001: add    eax,r11d
       inc    r8d
       mov    r11d,r8d
       imul   r11d,r8d
       shl    r11d,1h
       cmp    r8d,r10d
       jl     L0001

in comparison with the 2 * i * i version:

L0001: add    eax,r11d
       mov    r11d,r8d
       shl    r11d,1h
       add    r11d,2h
       inc    r8d
       imul   r11d,r8d
       cmp    r8d,r10d
       jl     L0001

Java version:

java version "11" 2018-09-25
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment 18.9 (build 11+28)
Java HotSpot(TM) 64-Bit Server VM 18.9 (build 11+28, mixed mode)

Benchmark results:

Benchmark          (size)  Mode  Cnt    Score     Error  Units
LoopTest.fast  1000000000  avgt    5  694,868 ±  36,470  ms/op
LoopTest.slow  1000000000  avgt    5  769,840 ± 135,006  ms/op

Benchmark source code:

@BenchmarkMode(Mode.AverageTime)
@OutputTimeUnit(TimeUnit.MILLISECONDS)
@Warmup(iterations = 5, time = 5, timeUnit = TimeUnit.SECONDS)
@Measurement(iterations = 5, time = 5, timeUnit = TimeUnit.SECONDS)
@State(Scope.Thread)
@Fork(1)
public class LoopTest {

    @Param("1000000000") private int size;

    public static void main(String[] args) throws RunnerException {
        Options opt = new OptionsBuilder()
            .include(LoopTest.class.getSimpleName())
            .jvmArgs("-XX:LoopUnrollLimit=0")
            .build();
        new Runner(opt).run();
    }

    @Benchmark
    public int slow() {
        int n = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
            n += 2 * i * i;
        return n;
    }

    @Benchmark
    public int fast() {
        int n = 0;
        for (int i = 0; i < size; i++)
            n += 2 * (i * i);
        return n;
    }
}

---

^{1 - VM options used: -XX:+UnlockDiagnosticVMOptions -XX:+PrintAssembly -XX:LoopUnrollLimit=0}