Understanding Concurrency and Parallelism

What does thinking concurrently involve?

• Focusing on one task at a time

• Completing tasks in a sequential order

• Identifying tasks that can be done simultaneously

• Ignoring task dependencies

In the housing estate analogy, which task can be done concurrently?

• Building the roof before the walls

• Installing windows before the roof

• Laying foundations for multiple houses

• Constructing walls without foundations

In a space shooter game, which task can be processed concurrently?

• Pausing the game while moving the player ship

• Loading the game assets after the game ends

• Updating the score before the game starts

• Moving the player ship and firing bullets

What is a characteristic of single-threaded programs?

• They require multiple processors

• They can execute multiple tasks simultaneously

• They are always faster than multi-threaded programs

• They follow a single sequence of instructions

How does Python handle concurrency with its Global Interpreter Lock?

• By allowing multiple threads to run on multiple cores simultaneously

• By switching between threads quickly on a single core

• By preventing any form of concurrency

• By executing all threads in a sequential manner

What is the main difference between concurrency and parallelism?

• Parallelism cannot occur on multi-core systems

• Concurrency deals with tasks in progress, not necessarily at the same time

• Parallelism is about handling multiple tasks at once

• Concurrency involves simultaneous execution of tasks

In the fitness challenge analogy, what does parallelism allow?

• Completing all running before starting push-ups

• Focusing on running only

• Running and doing push-ups at the same time by different people

• Running and doing push-ups one after the other

What does the term 'in progress' signify in concurrent systems?

• Multiple tasks are being executed simultaneously

• Tasks are being worked on but not necessarily finished

• Tasks are completed one after another

• Only one task can be active at a time

Which of the following is true about parallel processing?

• It requires a single-core CPU

• It involves executing tasks one after another

• It uses multiple cores to execute tasks simultaneously

• It cannot be used in modern computer systems

What is a key concept of concurrency in computer systems?

• Executing tasks in a random order

• Handling multiple tasks at once without simultaneous execution

• Avoiding the use of scheduling algorithms

• Focusing on a single task until completion