Kontekstivahetused

Kontekstivahetused, sometimes translated as context switching, refers to the process where a system, particularly a computer's central processing unit (CPU), stops executing one task and begins executing another. This involves saving the state of the current task, which includes its registers, program counter, and other relevant information, and then loading the saved state of the next task. This allows multiple processes or threads to share a single CPU, giving the illusion of concurrent execution.

The overhead associated with context switching is a critical factor in system performance. Each switch requires a certain amount of time to save and load the context, during which the CPU is not performing useful work for any specific task. Frequent context switching can lead to increased system load and reduced overall efficiency. Operating systems manage context switches to schedule which task runs on the CPU at any given time, employing various scheduling algorithms to minimize the impact of this overhead and maximize throughput.

In human cognition, context switching also describes the mental process of shifting attention and adapting to a new situation or task. This can involve retrieving new information, suppressing irrelevant information, and reorganizing thought processes. Similar to computer systems, human context switching also incurs cognitive load and can lead to temporary decreases in performance or efficiency, especially when the switches are rapid or the contexts are very dissimilar.