computer science

Parallel Patterns Library

Parallel Patterns Library is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Parallel Patterns Library rather than just read about it. In short: The Parallel Patterns Library is a Microsoft library designed for use by native C++ developers that provides features for multicore programming. It was first bundled with Visual Studio 2010.

Key takeaways

Parallel Patterns Library belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Parallel Patterns Library to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Parallel Patterns Library from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The Parallel Patterns Library is a Microsoft library designed for use by native C++ developers that provides features for multicore programming. It was first bundled with Visual Studio 2010. It resembles the C++ Standard Library in style and works well with the C++11 language feature, lambdas, also introduced with Visual Studio 2010. For example, this sequential loop:

Can be made into a parallel loop by replacing the for with a parallel_for:

This still requires the developer to know that the loop is parallelizable, but all the other work is done by the library. MSDN describes the Parallel Patterns Library as an "imperative programming model that promotes scalability and ease-of-use for developing concurrent applications." It uses the Concurrency Runtime for scheduling and resource management and provides generic, type-safe algorithms and containers for use in parallel applications.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Parallel Patterns Library

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Parallel Patterns Library claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Parallel Patterns Library before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Parallel Patterns Library ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Parallel Patterns Library

In research: Parallel Patterns Library appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Parallel Patterns Library in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Parallel Patterns Library is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics C++ libraries, Computing stubs, Concurrent programming libraries, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Parallel Patterns Library outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Parallel Patterns Library in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Parallel Patterns Library means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Parallel Patterns Library out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Parallel Patterns Library in simple terms?

The Parallel Patterns Library is a Microsoft library designed for use by native C++ developers that provides features for multicore programming. It was first bundled with Visual Studio 2010.

Why does Parallel Patterns Library matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Parallel Patterns Library?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Parallel Patterns Library.