External memory algorithm

Okay, let's imagine you have a big bag of candy that's too heavy for you to carry all at once. So what do you do? You take some of the candy out of the bag, put it into a smaller bag or a box, and then carry that instead. That way, you can take breaks and still have some candy with you without getting tired from carrying everything all at once.

Now, let's think about a computer program that has a lot of data it needs to work with. If it tries to keep all of that data in the computer's main memory (like the bag of candy you couldn't carry), it can slow down the program and maybe even crash it. So instead, the program can use an external memory algorithm to help it manage lots of data.

An external memory algorithm works like your bag of candy example. Instead of keeping all of the data in the computer's memory, it stores some of it on an external storage device like a hard drive, USB drive, or even a cloud storage service. The program can still access this data when it needs to, but it doesn't have to keep everything loaded into memory at the same time.

Just like splitting up the candy, an external memory algorithm divides the data into smaller "chunks" that can be loaded into memory when needed. The program can work with these chunks one at a time, and then move on to the next one when it's done.

Using an external memory algorithm can make a program run faster and use less memory. But just like your bag of candy, it can also take a little bit longer to work with the data since the program has to load and unload the data from the external storage device. Overall, though, using an external memory algorithm is a smart way for a computer program to handle lots of data without getting overloaded.