sequentieller

Sequentieller is a term used in various fields to describe something that occurs in a particular order or follows a defined sequence. A sequentiell process executes steps one after another, and the overall behavior depends on the result of preceding steps. The concept is used in computing, electronics, linguistics, and manufacturing, where the order of operations matters for correctness or meaning.

Etymology: The word derives from Latin sequi “to follow” and is used in several European languages to convey the idea of following in sequence. In technical contexts, sequentiell is often contrasted with parallel or concurrent arrangements, where tasks proceed simultaneously or depend on different streams of input.

In computing and information processing: Sequentiell execution means that instructions or data items are processed in a single, ordered stream. This contrasts with parallel processing, where multiple sequences are processed in parallel across cores or devices. Sequentiell logic circuits in hardware maintain state across time, enabling memory and sequential control flow; combinational circuits, by contrast, depend only on current inputs.

In practice, sequential approaches are straightforward and predictable but can create bottlenecks if tasks are time-consuming. To improve performance while preserving necessary order, designers use techniques such as pipelining, buffering, or partitioning work into independent sequential tasks, allowing limited parallelism without violating ordering constraints.