Use branch prediction

Optimize performance-critical algorithms by using branch prediction hints to guide the CPU. Add UNLIKELY macros for error conditions, boundary checks, or exceptional cases that rarely evaluate to true, and LIKELY for common execution paths. This helps the CPU’s branch predictor make better decisions, reducing pipeline stalls and improving execution speed in hot loops and frequently called functions.

Example:

// Less optimized:
if (number_num < lower_num || number_num > upper_num) {
    // Handle out-of-range case
}

// Optimized with branch prediction:
if (UNLIKELY(number_num < lower_num || number_num > upper_num)) {
    // Handle out-of-range case
}

This technique is especially important in performance-critical algorithms where the same conditional is evaluated repeatedly and the outcome is predictable in most cases.