What is the difference between trap and interrupt?

Answer 1

Trap is actually a software generated interrupt caused either by an error (for example division by zero, invalid memory access etc.), or by an specific request by an operating system service generated by a user program. Trap is sometimes called Exception. The hardware or software can generate these interrupts. When the interrupt or trap occurs, the hardware therefore, transfer control to the operating system which first preserves the current state of the system by saving the current CPU registers contents and program counter's value. after this, the focus shifts to the determination of which type of interrupt has occured. For each type of interrupt, separate segmants of code in the operating system determine what action should be taken and thus the system keeps on functioning by executing coputational instruction, I/O instruction, torage instruction etc.