CS313 Easy Guide: Exam Checklist Explained for Beginners

These flashcards cover key concepts related to processes, threads, liveness, synchronization, concurrent programming, and testing in Java.

What is the primary difference between a process and a thread?

A process runs independently and has its own memory, while a thread is a smaller unit within a process that shares memory with other threads in the same process.

In Java, what does a process represent?

A running JVM instance.

What is the state of a thread when it is created but not started?

NEW.

What are the possible states of a thread in Java?

NEW, RUNNABLE, BLOCKED, WAITING, TIMED_WAITING, or TERMINATED.

What happens when a thread enters the BLOCKED state?

The thread is waiting to acquire a lock.

What is liveness in the context of programming?

Liveness refers to the condition where things keep working in a program.

What is deadlock?

A situation where two threads wait forever for each other.

What is a Critical Section in multi-threading?

The part of code where shared data is changed.

What is the purpose of synchronization in multi-threading?

To ensure that threads take turns when accessing shared data to avoid inconsistencies.

What is a Producer/Consumer pattern?

A pattern where one thread puts data into a shared buffer while another thread takes it out.

What does the 'Callable' interface do in Java?

Similar to Runnable, but it can return a result or throw an error.

What is Mutation Testing?

A technique where small changes are made to the code to see if tests can detect them, helping to improve test coverage and reveal hidden problems.

What is atomicity in multi-threading?

An operation is atomic if it is indivisible, meaning it either happens completely or not at all.

What is ThreadMXBean in Java?

A part of the Java Management Extensions (JMX) API that provides detailed monitoring and management of threads in the JVM.