Explain the term thrashing

Thrashing refers to a situation in computing where a system spends the majority of its time swapping data between main memory and disk storage rather than executing actual processes. This typically occurs when there is insufficient memory to support the active processes, leading to excessive paging or swapping. As a result, system performance degrades significantly, causing slow response times and reduced overall efficiency. Essentially, thrashing indicates that the system is overwhelmed and unable to manage its resources effectively.