To answer this question, we need to understand what data flow analysis is and what it studies.
Data flow analysis is a technique used in software engineering to analyze how data is used and flows through a program. It aims to gather information about the possible values that variables can take at various points in the program and how they are related to each other.
Let's go through each option to understand why it is correct or incorrect:
Option A) Possible communications bottlenecks in a program - This option is incorrect because data flow analysis does not specifically focus on identifying communications bottlenecks. It is more concerned with understanding how data is used and flows through the program.
Option B) The rate of change of data values as a program executes - This option is incorrect because data flow analysis is not concerned with the rate of change of data values. It focuses on understanding how data is used and flows through the program, rather than the dynamics of data values.
Option C) The intrinsic complexity of the code - This option is incorrect because data flow analysis does not directly study the intrinsic complexity of the code. It is more focused on analyzing how data is used and flows through the program, rather than evaluating the complexity of the code itself.
Option D) The use of data on paths through the code - This option is correct because data flow analysis specifically studies how data is used on different paths through the code. It aims to gather information about the possible values that variables can take and how they are related to each other as the program executes.
Therefore, the correct answer is option D. Data flow analysis studies the use of data on paths through the code.