Operating Systems - Process State Machine - Five-State Model
Considering the five-state process model, what is the space complexity impact of maintaining the Process Control Block (PCB) for all processes in the system?
Considering the five-state process model, what is the space complexity impact of maintaining the Process Control Block (PCB) for all processes in the system?
medium🪤 Complexity Trap Q6 of Q15
Step-by-Step Solution
Solution:
Step 1: Understand PCB storage
Each process requires its own PCB to store state and context.Step 2: Total space scales linearly
With n processes, total PCB storage is O(n).Step 3: PCBs are not shared or reused
Each process has a unique PCB, so O(1) is incorrect.Step 4: State transitions are not stored explicitly per process
O(n²) is an overestimate.Step 5: Data structures like trees affect access time, not PCB space
O(log n) is irrelevant here.Final Answer:
Option A -> Option AQuick Check:
One PCB per process -> linear space [OK]
Quick Trick: PCB space grows linearly with process count [OK]
Common Mistakes:
MISTAKES- Assuming PCBs are shared or reused
- Confusing access time with space complexity
- Overestimating space for transitions
Trap Explanation:
PITFALL- Candidates confuse data structure access complexities with PCB space requirements.
Interviewer Note:
CONTEXT- Evaluates understanding of resource usage in process management.
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