A onephore

Understanding binary semaphores and synchronization primitives

This question tests whether you can recognize the relationship between a binary semaphore and other fundamental concurrency constructs. It is a conceptual question that probes your understanding of how different synchronization mechanisms relate to one another and when they are interchangeable.

Binary semaphores are among the most basic building blocks in concurrent programming. To answer this correctly, you need to understand what a binary semaphore does—how it manages access to a shared resource through a counter that can take on exactly two states—and then identify which other classical synchronization primitive it can emulate or replace. This requires knowing the behaviour and constraints of several common concurrency tools and recognizing structural equivalence.

• Semaphore operations (wait/signal) and state transitions
• Mutual exclusion vs. signalling patterns
• Comparison of locks, mutexes, and event-signalling mechanisms
• When primitives are functionally equivalent