Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Sequential refers to a process or task that is executed one step at a time, in a specific order, without any simultaneous operations. It is a linear approach where each step must be completed before moving on to the next.
Related terms
Concurrency: The ability of an algorithm or system to execute multiple tasks simultaneously.
Synchronization: The coordination of multiple processes or threads to ensure they work together correctly.
Serial Execution: The execution of instructions in a single stream or sequence without any parallelism.