ARRAYS AND TREES

This chapter provides an overview of arrays and trees, which are known as the simplest networks for parallel computation. A linear array is the simplest example of a fixed-connection network. Each processor in the array has a local program control and local storage. However, the complexity of the local program control and the size of the local storage may vary. The algorithm for sorting can be described in terms of a simple program executed by each processor, irrespective of its position within the array. The chapter presents the algorithm and analysis based on the word model, in which comparison and transmission of full words are accomplished in a single step, and only the number of word steps is counted. The chapter also explains matrix algorithms, which are easy to implement on arrays and trees consisting of simple word processors such as, adders, multipliers, and dividers.