How many bytes will a S9(8) COMP field occupy?

  1. 2

  2. 4

  3. 8

  4. 16


Correct Option: B

AI Explanation

To answer this question, you need to understand the concept of COMP fields in COBOL.

In COBOL, the COMP field is used to store numeric data. The size of a COMP field is determined by the number of bytes it occupies in memory.

In this case, the S9(8) represents a signed numeric field with a length of 8 digits. The "S" indicates that the field is signed, and the "9(8)" indicates that it can hold 8 digits.

In COBOL, the COMP field is typically represented using the binary format, which means that each digit occupies 4 bits. Therefore, to calculate the number of bytes required for the field, we divide the number of digits by 2.

In this case, the S9(8) COMP field has 8 digits, so it will occupy 8/2 = 4 bytes of memory.

Based on this explanation, the correct answer is B) 4.

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