Learn German: Der Rabe benutzt das Werkzeug, um das Problem wesentlich schneller zu lösen. - The raven uses the tool to solve the problem significantly faster.

Wesentlich acts as an intensifying degree adverb here. When placed right before a comparative adjective like schneller (faster), it means 'significantly' or 'substantially'. It emphasizes that the difference in speed is large, translating to 'significantly faster'.

I thought wesentlich meant 'essential'. Why does it mean 'significantly' here?

You are right that as a standard adjective, wesentlich means 'essential' or 'fundamental' (for example, ein wesentlicher Punkt means 'an essential point'). However, when it is used as an adverb to intensify a comparative word like schneller, its meaning reliably shifts to 'significantly' or 'substantially'.

Could I just use viel instead of wesentlich here?

Yes, you could say viel schneller (much faster) and it would be perfectly grammatical. However, at a B2 level, upgrading to words like wesentlich, weitaus, or bedeutend makes your German sound more formal, precise, and sophisticated than using the basic viel.

Why are all the words sandwiched between um and zu lösen?