Multiple choice cobol

Determine the size of the data item SPPPP9999

  1. 9

  2. 5

  3. 8

  4. 4
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

In COBOL, 'SPPPP9999' has size 4: S (sign, 1 byte), PPP (3 packed decimal digits), and 9999 (4 numeric digits) = 8 bytes total, but size refers to number of elementary items. Actually, size in COBOL refers to byte count: S=1 byte, P=1/3 byte (3 P's=1 byte), each 9=1 byte (4 bytes), total=4 bytes for actual storage representation in this context.

AI explanation

To determine the size of the data item SPPPP9999, we need to understand how the data item is structured.

The data item SPPPP9999 consists of a combination of letters and numbers. Let's break it down:

  • The first character, "S", is a letter.
  • The next four characters, "PPPP", are letters.
  • The final four characters, "9999", are numbers.

In most programming languages, each character is usually stored using 1 byte of memory. Therefore, the size of the data item SPPPP9999 can be calculated as follows:

1 byte (for the first character "S") + 4 bytes (for the next four characters "PPPP") + 4 bytes (for the final four characters "9999")

= 1 + 4 + 4

= 9

So, the correct answer is A) 9.

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