What is the difference between CPU usage and load average?

Q: What is the difference between CPU usage and load average?

> * **CPU Usage**: The percentage of CPU cycles executing program instructions (e.g. 50%). * **Load Average**: The total process queue size. A system can have 10% CPU usage but a load average of 20 if all those processes are blocked waiting for disk blocks (state `D`).

💬Answer

CPU Usage: The percentage of CPU cycles executing program instructions (e.g. 50%).
Load Average: The total process queue size. A system can have 10% CPU usage but a load average of 20 if all those processes are blocked waiting for disk blocks (state D).

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