Round-robin (RR) CPU scheduling Which statement best captures the core property of round-robin scheduling?

Introduction / Context:
Round-robin (RR) scheduling is widely used in time sharing systems to provide fairness and responsiveness. The CPU cycles among ready processes, giving each a time slice. This question seeks the defining feature of RR.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• All ready tasks receive a fixed quantum in cyclic order.
• Context switching overhead is nonzero but assumed acceptable.
• Preemption occurs at quantum expiration.

Concept / Approach:

RR is fundamentally about fairness. Each task gets a turn within a bounded time, so no task can starve. While RR benefits interactive workloads by frequent preemption, its primary property is equal treatment over time, independent of CPU burst length.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Queue based models show each process receives CPU at least once every N quanta, where N is the number of ready processes, satisfying fairness.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

a: often true in practice, but it is a benefit rather than the defining property. b: RR is conceptually simple; implementation is straightforward with a ready queue. d: RR does not privilege processor bound tasks; all tasks get equal quanta.

Common Pitfalls:

Choosing a quantum that is too small (excessive context switches) or too large (poor responsiveness). Assuming RR optimizes throughput; it primarily optimizes fairness and response time.

Final Answer:

Gives each task the same chance at the processor.