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Which of the following statements best describes a limitation of the buddy system in managing memory fragmentation?

medium🪤 Complexity Trap Q13 of Q15
Operating Systems - Internal vs External Fragmentation - Compaction & Buddy System
Which of the following statements best describes a limitation of the buddy system in managing memory fragmentation?
AIt can cause significant internal fragmentation due to rounding up allocation sizes to powers of two
BIt completely eliminates external fragmentation by merging all free blocks
CIt requires compaction to handle fragmentation effectively
DIt is inefficient for fixed-size memory allocation requests
Step-by-Step Solution

  1. Step 1: Analyze buddy system behavior

    Buddy system allocates blocks in powers of two, causing internal fragmentation when requested size is not a power of two.

  2. Step 2: Evaluate other options

    It does not eliminate external fragmentation completely (B); compaction is a separate technique (C); it is efficient for fixed-size allocations (D is incorrect).

  3. Final Answer:

    Option A -> Option A

  4. Quick Check:

    Internal fragmentation is a known trade-off in buddy system [OK]
Quick Trick: Buddy system = power-of-two blocks -> internal fragmentation [OK]
Common Mistakes:
MISTAKES
  • Believing buddy system removes all external fragmentation
  • Confusing compaction as part of buddy system
  • Assuming buddy system is inefficient for variable sizes
Trap Explanation:
PITFALL
  • Option B is a common misconception; C confuses techniques; D reverses efficiency assumptions.
Interviewer Note:
CONTEXT
  • Tests understanding of buddy system trade-offs and fragmentation types it affects.
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