Homonym: Overflow (Spillage)
Overflow refers to a situation where a container or system cannot hold more than its maximum capacity, leading to excess material spilling out. This concept is commonly seen in various contexts, such as when a glass of water is filled beyond its rim, causing water to spill over. In computing, overflow can occur when a program tries to store more data in a variable than it can accommodate, potentially leading to errors or crashes.
In programming, there are different types of overflow, including integer overflow and buffer overflow. Integer overflow happens when a calculation exceeds the maximum limit of a data type, while buffer overflow occurs when data exceeds the allocated memory space, potentially allowing malicious code to execute. Understanding overflow is crucial for preventing errors and ensuring the stability of systems.