What is the purpose of the polling mechanism in computer science? a) To actively sample the status of an external device b) To wait until a devic...

The purpose of the polling mechanism in computer science is to continuously test a resource for its readiness. This mechanism allows the system to check if a resource, such as a device or a network connection, is available and ready for use. It involves regularly checking the status of the resource to determine if it is ready to perform input/output operations. This helps in efficient resource management and ensures that the system can effectively utilize available resources.