A race condition is typically defined as a phenomenon during which the output of a system is indeterminate and dependent on the scheduling algorithm and the order in which tasks are scheduled and executed. When the data becomes mishandled and corrupted during this process, a race condition becomes a bug in the system. Given the nature of this problem, it is quite common for a race condition to occur in concurrent systems, which emphasize scheduling and coordinating independent tasks.

A race condition can occur in both an electronic hardware system and a software application; in this chapter, we will only be discussing race conditions in the context of software development—specifically, concurrent software applications. This section will cover the theoretical foundations of race conditions and their root causes and the concept of critical sections.