Transparallel Processing

Transparallel processing is a form of processing, in computing or otherwise, in which items are processed simultaneously by one processor.

Transparallel processing complements the three forms of processing called:

• subserial processing, in which items are processed one after the other by many processors;
• serial processing, in which items are processed one after the other by one processor;
• parallel processing, in which items are processed simultaneously by many processors.

Various everyday situations involve some combination of the latter three forms of processing. For instance, at the checkout in a supermarket, the cashiers work in parallel, but each cashier serially processes customer carts that are presented subserially by the customers.

Compared to subserial processing and serial processing, both parallel processing and transparallel processing imply a reduction in the amount of time needed to process all items. Transparallel processing implies, in addition, a reduction in the total amount of work to be done.

For instance, to select the longest pencil from among a number of pencils, the lengths of the pencils could be measured serially by one person, or subserially or in parallel by many persons. The parallel method is faster than the serial and subserial methods, but still involves the same amount of work. The following transparallel method, however, is both time-efficient and work-efficient: One person gathers all pencils in a bundle and places the bundle upright on a table, so that the longest pencil can be selected in a glance.