Problem Statement
Explain contiguous memory allocation and discuss its pros and cons.
Explanation
In contiguous memory allocation a process is allocated one single contiguous block of memory addresses. This makes address translation very simple and fast because the OS just adds an offset to a base address. The major advantage is low overhead in translation and good spatial locality. However the drawbacks include difficulty in fitting processes into memory when free blocks are fragmented (external fragmentation), and limited flexibility—process size must be known ahead and cannot easily grow dynamically. For interview success you can mention techniques like compaction which the OS may use to reduce external fragmentation.
