Final answer:
Garbage collection is designed to eliminate objects that are no longer needed in memory to prevent memory leaks and manage resources efficiently in programming languages such as Java. It identifies unused objects and frees their memory space, thus maintaining optimal program performance.
Step-by-step explanation:
The purpose of garbage collection is b) To eliminate objects that are no longer needed in memory. In programming languages like Java, garbage collection is a form of automatic memory management. The garbage collector attempts to reclaim memory occupied by objects that are no longer in use by the program. This is critical to preventing memory leaks, which can lead to reduced performance or a program crash due to memory exhaustion.
Garbage collection works by identifying the objects that are still in use and then clearing out those that are not, effectively freeing up resources. An object is considered 'in use' if it is reachable through a chain of references from some root set (like stack variables or static fields), which means it can still affect the program's outcome. Once an object is no longer reachable, it is deemed 'garbage' and eligible for collection.