What are atomic operations in multithreading?

Can you explain what atomic operations are in the context of multithreading?

Sure! Atomic operations are operations that complete in a single step relative to other threads. They are indivisible.

Why are atomic operations important in multithreading?

They prevent race conditions by ensuring that a thread's operation is completed without interruption from other threads.

Can you give an example of an atomic operation?

An example is incrementing a counter. If multiple threads try to increment it simultaneously, atomic operations ensure each increment is counted correctly.

What happens if atomic operations are not used?

Without atomic operations, you may encounter inconsistent data or race conditions, leading to unpredictable behavior.