| Time Complexity function | With present computer | With computer 100 times faster | With computer 1000 times faster | |
| n | N1 | 100 N1 | 1000 N1 | |
| n2 | N2 | 10 N2 | 31.6 N2 | |
| n3 | N3 | 4.64 N3 | 10 N3 | |
| n5 | N4 | 2.5 N4 | 3.98 N4 | |
| 2n | N5 | N5 +6.64 | N5 + 9.97 | |
| 3n | N6 | N6 +4.19 | N6 + 6.29 |
Figure 1.3 Effect of improved technology on several polynomial and exponential time algorithms.
So, a thousand-fold increase in computing speed with the 2n algorithm only adds 10 to the size of the largest problem instance we can solve in an hour, whereas with the n5 algorithm this size almost quadruples.
From Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness , Garey and Johnson, W. H. Freeman Press, 1979, ISBN 0-7167-1044-5