Locality of Reference in Programming

Locality of Reference is a concept in programming that explains why programs tend to access a small portion of their data or instructions repeatedly over short periods. There are two main types: temporal locality, where recently accessed data is likely to be used again soon; and spatial locality, where data close to recently accessed data is likely to be accessed next. This pattern allows computers to optimize performance by keeping relevant data close, such as in cache memory, reducing access times and improving efficiency. Essentially, programs naturally reuse nearby or recent data, which helps computers run faster.