Suppose we have variable logical records of lengths of 5 bytes, 10 bytes, and…
2013
Suppose we have variable logical records of lengths of 5 bytes, 10 bytes, and 25 bytes while the physical block size in disk is 15 bytes. What is the maximum and minimum fragmentation seen in bytes?
- A.
25 and 5
- B.
15 and 5
- C.
15 and 0
- D.
10 and 0
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Correct answer: D
Key idea: The question is asking about fragmentation seen in physical blocks of size 15 bytes.
A 5-byte record stored in a 15-byte block leaves 10 bytes unused. This is the maximum fragmentation seen.
A 10-byte record leaves 5 bytes unused.
A 25-byte record uses two blocks: the first block is completely filled with 15 bytes, so its fragmentation is 0 bytes; the second block stores the remaining 10 bytes and leaves 5 bytes unused.
Because one physical block can be completely filled, the minimum fragmentation seen is 0 bytes.
Answer: maximum fragmentation = 10 bytes and minimum fragmentation = 0 bytes.