In memory management, which of the following is a disadvantage of fixed…
2025
In memory management, which of the following is a disadvantage of fixed partitioning?
- A.
It may lead to internal fragmentation due to unused space in partitions.
- B.
It provides complete utilisation of main memory.
- C.
It allows dynamic memory allocation based on process size.
- D.
It causes external fragmentation.
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Correct answer: A
Fixed Partitioning (also known as Static Partitioning) is one of the oldest contiguous memory management techniques.
Why Internal Fragmentation Happens:
Suppose the operating system creates a fixed partition of 8 MB in RAM.
A small process requiring only 3 MB of memory arrives and is loaded into this partition.
The process runs perfectly, but it leaves 8 MB - 3 MB = 5 MB of memory completely unused.
Because the partition boundaries are absolute, the operating system's memory manager cannot assign that remaining 5 MB block to any other process.
This wasted space inside an allocated region of memory is called internal fragmentation, and it stands as the primary disadvantage of choosing a fixed partitioning scheme.