To answer this question, you need to understand the concept of PACKED DECIMAL (COMP-3) and how the number of digits affects its performance.
PACKED DECIMAL (COMP-3) is a data type used in computer programming to store decimal numbers. It is commonly used in languages like COBOL. In this format, each digit is encoded in a nibble (half a byte), and the sign is stored in the last nibble.
Now let's analyze each option to understand why the correct answer is option B:
Option A) Even, Even - This option suggests using an even number of digits for PACKED DECIMAL (COMP-3) in both cases. However, this is not the correct answer because the performance is not affected by using an even number of digits in both cases.
Option B) Odd, Even - This option suggests using an odd number of digits for PACKED DECIMAL (COMP-3) in the first case and an even number of digits in the second case. This is the correct answer because using an odd number of digits in the first case can result in faster performance compared to using an even number of digits.
Option C) Odd, Odd - This option suggests using an odd number of digits for PACKED DECIMAL (COMP-3) in both cases. However, this is not the correct answer because the performance is not affected by using an odd number of digits in both cases.
Option D) Even, Odd - This option suggests using an even number of digits for PACKED DECIMAL (COMP-3) in the first case and an odd number of digits in the second case. However, this is not the correct answer because the performance is not affected by using an odd number of digits in the second case.
Therefore, the correct answer is option B) Odd, Even. This option is correct because using an odd number of digits for PACKED DECIMAL (COMP-3) can result in faster performance compared to using an even number of digits.