Critical section

Okay kiddo, imagine you're playing with your toys at home. Let's say you have a special toy that you really like and your sister also wants to play with the same toy. If both of you try to play with the toy at the same time, it can lead to fights, tears, and even breaking the toy.

Similarly, in computer programs, many different parts of the program might want to use a particular resource (such as a file, memory area, or some other data structure) at the same time. This can also lead to problems like bugs, crashes, or data corruption.

To avoid these problems, we need to make sure that only one part of the program is using the resource at any given time. This is called the "critical section" of the program, meaning the part that needs special attention to avoid conflicting access.

To achieve this, programmers use a special technique called "mutex" (short for mutual exclusion), which ensures that only one part of the program can access the critical section at any given time. It's like a traffic signal that controls the flow of cars – it allows only one car to pass at a time, while the others wait their turn.

By implementing mutex, programmers can ensure that the critical section is accessed safely and efficiently, without conflicts or crashes. So, just like you and your sister taking turns to play with your favorite toy, computer programs also need to take turns to access important resources – and that's what's meant by the critical section.