What is the purpose of a memory allocation table in memory management?

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What is the purpose of a memory allocation table in memory management?

The purpose of a memory allocation table in memory management is to keep track of the allocation and deallocation of memory blocks within a computer system. It serves as a data structure that maintains information about the status of each memory block, such as whether it is currently allocated or free, its size, and its location in memory.

The memory allocation table allows the operating system to efficiently manage the available memory resources by keeping track of which memory blocks are in use and which are available for allocation. It helps prevent conflicts and overlaps in memory allocation by ensuring that multiple processes or programs do not attempt to access the same memory location simultaneously.

Additionally, the memory allocation table enables the operating system to allocate memory blocks to processes or programs as needed and to deallocate them when they are no longer required. This helps optimize the utilization of memory resources and prevents memory leaks, where memory is allocated but not properly released, leading to inefficient memory usage over time.

Overall, the memory allocation table plays a crucial role in memory management by providing a centralized mechanism for tracking and controlling the allocation and deallocation of memory blocks, ensuring efficient and effective utilization of memory resources within a computer system.