A Level Computer Science OCR Practice Exam

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What does a static data structure do during run-time?

Increases in size as needed
Remains unchanged in size
Decreases in size based on usage
Generates new arrays dynamically

The correct answer is: Remains unchanged in size

A static data structure remains unchanged in size during run-time. This means that the amount of memory allocated for the static data structure is fixed at compile time and does not vary while the program is executing. As a result, the programmer must specify the size of the data structure upfront, and this allocation is generally an efficient use of memory since it avoids the overhead associated with dynamic memory allocation. In contrast to static data structures, dynamic data structures, such as linked lists or dynamically allocated arrays, can grow or shrink in size based on the demands of the program during execution. This allows for more flexible memory usage but often comes with additional complexity and potential performance overhead related to memory management. Static data structures are commonly used in situations where the size of the dataset is known and fixed, making them easier to manage and faster to access.