Understanding Sequential Access File in Data Storage

Question:

When looking for a specific object of interest, on average 25% of a sequential access file will have to be searched in order to find that object.

a. True
b. False

Answer:

Final answer: The statement 'When looking for a specific object of interest, on average 25% of a sequential access file will have to be searched in order to find that object' is True. The answer is a

Explanation:

Sequential Access File Overview: Sequential access file is a type of file where the records are accessed in a sequence, or in the order they were added to the file. Its structure doesn't allow for random access so to find a specific data point, you would have to search the file sequentially, starting from the beginning.

Searching Process: Therefore, on average, you would need to look through about 25% of the file to find your data, assuming that the data is evenly distributed. However, it's worth noting that this is an average - in the worst case, the specific data point could be the very last record in the file, necessitating a full scan of the whole file.

Conclusion: The answer to the question is True, as on average 25% of a sequential access file needs to be searched to find a specific object of interest.