GATE CS 2015 Set 1 — Question 56
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Question
Suppose the following disk request sequence (track numbers) for a disk with 100 tracks is given: 45, 20, 90, 10, 50, 60, 80, 25, 70. Assume that the initial position of the R/W head is on track 50. The additional distance that will be traversed by the R/W head when the Shortest Seek Time First (SSTF) algorithm is used compared to the SCAN (Elevator) algorithm (assuming that SCAN algorithm moves towards 100 when it starts execution) is_________ tracks.
Correct answer
10 to 10
Solution
Requests: 45, 20, 90, 10, 50, 60, 80, 25, 70; head starts at track 50 (track 50 is itself a request and is served at once).SSTF (always the nearest pending request):Total tracks. (At 45, 60 is 15 away and 25 is 20 away, so 60 is chosen.)SCAN, moving towards 100 first. The official answer treats the head as reversing after the last request in the upward direction (track 90), then sweeping down to 10: tracks.Additional distance for SSTF tracks.Note on the official key. Strictly, SCAN (elevator) continues to the end of the disk before reversing; that behaviour, where it stops at the last request, is LOOK. With 100 tracks numbered 0 to 99, a true SCAN would cover tracks, and SSTF would then be 8 tracks shorter (so the "additional distance" would be ). The official GATE 2015 (Set 1) key is 10, which corresponds to the head reversing at track 90. The official key stands.Answer: 10
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