Locality of Reference

Locality of Reference is a concept that describes how programs tend to access a limited range of data and instructions repeatedly over short periods. There are two main types: temporal locality, where recently accessed items are likely to be accessed again soon, and spatial locality, where items close to recently accessed items are likely to be needed next. This behavior is crucial in designing computer memory systems, as it allows for more efficient data storage and retrieval, improving performance by keeping frequently used data readily available, reducing delays in processing.