Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow its link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can describe sequential, parallel and distributed computing. (Guide: “One at a time, or many at once?”; Practice Q1)
- I can explain why the sequential portion limits the benefit of adding parallel processing. (Guide: “Why more processors do not mean unlimited speed”; Practice Q6)
- I can state benefits of parallel and distributed computing. (Guide: “Benefits and challenges”; Practice Q5)
- I can state challenges of parallel and distributed computing. (Guide: “Benefits and challenges”; Practice question 10)
Skills
- I can calculate the time for a sequential solution. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q2, Q8)
- I can calculate the time for a parallel solution using the longest task of each parallel group. (Guide: “Calculating the time”; Practice Q3, Q7, Q8)
- I can calculate speedup as sequential time divided by parallel time. (Guide: Worked example 1; Practice Q4, Q8)
Reasoning
- I can compute the time with p processors when part of the work is sequential. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q9)
- I can find the best possible speedup from the sequential portion. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Q9)
- I can decide when a problem needs distributed computing because of storage or time. (Guide: “Benefits and challenges”; Practice question 10)
All ticked? Try the Unit 4 diagnostic, then the Unit 4 review.