Week 3&4 - Operating Systems

Question 1

What is a thread?

Answer 1

A single or smallest sequence of instructions executed by the CPU.
It is a basic unit of CPU utilization comprising:
Thread ID
Program counter
Set of registers
Stack (stores local variables)

Question 2

What is multi-threading?

Answer 2

A program execution technique that allows multiple threads to be executed simultaneously.
Multiple threads within a single process.
Comprises:
ID
Program counter
Set of registers
Stack

Question 3

What are the challenges in developing multi-threaded applications?

Answer 3

Challenges in multicore or multiprocessor systems: 
Dividing activities
Balance
Data splitting
Data dependency
Testing and debugging