Question

A situation in which multiple threads or processes read and write a shared data item and the final result depends on the relative timing of their execution is a ___________ .

Answer 1

A race condition occurs when multiple threads or processes compete to read and write a shared data item, and the final result depends on their relative timing of execution.

Step-by-step explanation:

A situation in which multiple threads or processes read and write a shared data item and the final result depends on the relative timing of their execution is called a race condition. In computing, a race condition occurs when the behavior of software or a system depends on the sequence or timing of other uncontrollable events. For instance, if two threads are writing to the same variable without proper synchronization, the final value of that variable may be unpredictable and dependent on which thread writes to it last.

In a race condition, the outcome of the program can vary depending on which thread or process finishes executing first. This can lead to unexpected and incorrect results. To prevent race conditions, synchronization mechanisms like locks or semaphores are often used to ensure that only one thread or process accesses the shared data at a time.