User blog comment:Simplicityaboveall/Insanely Fast-Growing Functions/@comment-1605058-20170915175750/@comment-25912386-20170915191639

100 = 10 + 90    Okay

But 100 also equals 10 ^ 2

or  w + 90  =  w + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 +10

=  w +  w  + w  +  w +  w  +  w +  w +   w +  w  + w

=  w10

=  w^2