Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index An operation within a larger dynamic system is called a real-time operation if the combined reaction- and operation-time of a task is shorter than the maximum delay that is allowed in view of circumstances outside the operation. The task must also occur before the system to be controlled gets unstable. A real-time operation is not necessarily fast, as slow systems can allow slow real-time operations. This applies for all types of dynamically changing systems. The opposite of a real-time operation is a batch job. A typical example could be a computer-controlled braking system in a car. If the driver can stop a car before it hits a wall the operation was in real-time; if the car hits the wall it was not. Many machines require real-time controllers to avoid "instability," which could lead to the accidental damage or destruction of the system, people, or objects. This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.