The term 'parallel processing' is synonymous with which other term?

The term 'parallel processing' is synonymous with which other term?

• A. Coprocessing
• B. Serial processing
• C. Multithreading
• D. Unified processing

Answer: (A)

Parallel processing means carrying out multiple computations at the same time by using more than one processor or core. A coprocessor is an additional processor dedicated to accelerating specific tasks, so it works alongside the main processor to share the workload. This setup embodies parallel work, where more than one processor handles different parts of the task simultaneously, which is why coprocessing is the right term. Serial processing, by contrast, handles tasks one after another, not at the same time, so it doesn’t fit. Multithreading is a technique to achieve parallelism by splitting a program into concurrent threads, often running on multiple cores. While related, it’s a method to implement parallelism rather than the general term for the concept itself. Unified processing isn’t a standard term used to describe parallel execution. So the term that aligns with parallel processing is coprocessing.

Parallel processing means carrying out multiple computations at the same time by using more than one processor or core. A coprocessor is an additional processor dedicated to accelerating specific tasks, so it works alongside the main processor to share the workload. This setup embodies parallel work, where more than one processor handles different parts of the task simultaneously, which is why coprocessing is the right term.

Serial processing, by contrast, handles tasks one after another, not at the same time, so it doesn’t fit.

Multithreading is a technique to achieve parallelism by splitting a program into concurrent threads, often running on multiple cores. While related, it’s a method to implement parallelism rather than the general term for the concept itself.

Unified processing isn’t a standard term used to describe parallel execution.

So the term that aligns with parallel processing is coprocessing.