Parallel computing allows computers to perform multiple tasks simultaneously, resulting in faster processing. Programs must be designed to be broken down into smaller tasks, which can be a challenge. Multiple processing cores in personal computers allow for parallel processing. The main advantage is faster program execution.
Parallel computing occurs when a computer performs more than one task at the same time. This technique may allow computers to work faster than doing one thing at a time, just as one person with two hands free can carry more than one person with one hand free. Traditionally, computer programs have been designed in ways that don’t necessarily allow for parallel computation, but instead must be performed one step at a time. For a program to be calculated in this way, it must be designed so that it can be broken down into smaller tasks that can be performed individually. As an example of how parallel computing relates to the average person, many personal computers have multiple processing cores which allow them to process multiple tasks simultaneously, instead of one task after another as with a single processor computer.
Writing a computer program so that it can be broken up into separate tasks to be executed separately is often more difficult than writing one at a time, using linear execution. With computer programs that will run in sequence, the first activity usually determines the information that is integral to the second activity in the sequence. Without that first information that results from performing the first task, the second task may be useless to perform. When writing a program so that it can be broken up into different parts, timing things so that the different parts of the program have the information they need when they need it and don’t make decisions based on outdated information can be a unique challenge . This concern is usually associated with the most common types of computer bugs that parallel processing programs face.
The main advantage of parallel computing is that programs can run faster. If the computer hardware that runs a program that uses parallel computing has the architecture, such as more than one central processing unit (CPU), then parallel computing can be an efficient technique. By analogy, if a human can carry one box at a time and that a CPU is a human, a sequentially executed program might only be able to carry one box at a time. When running in parallel, the same program may be able to split into two separate tasks and, if there are two CPUs that will take advantage of this, carry both boxes at the same time. This way, the man carries both boxes and completes his task faster.
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