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Computer Science > (7) Computer Architecture > Flashcards

(7) Computer Architecture Flashcards

1
Q

What is computer system? (i.e. what is considered a computer)

A

A device is a computer is it can accept data, output data, store data, process data and consist of both hardware and software.

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2
Q

What is a processor and their function?

A

A Central Processing Unit (CPU), it is the main part of the computer, consisting of the
registers, ALU and control unit

The portion of the computer that retrieves and executes instructions.

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3
Q

What are the three types of busses?

A

Control Bus, Data Bus and Address Bus

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4
Q

What is a bus?

A

A set of parallel wires connecting two or more components of a computer

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5
Q

What does main memory do?

A

Stores data currently in use

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6
Q

What is the role of the address bus and which way does it go?

A

Connects the processor to main memory to send across memory addresses

One way : Processor to main memory

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7
Q

What is the role of the data bus?

A

Transfers data between the processor and memory

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8
Q

What is the role of the control bus and which way does it go?

A

Controls the flow of data between the processor and other parts of the computer

Two way

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9
Q

What are I/O Controllers?

A

A device that communicates between I/O devices and the processor

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10
Q

What are the two types of computing architectures?

A

Von Neumann & Harvard

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11
Q

What is Von Neuman Architecture and where is it typically used?**********

A

Both instructions and data are stored in the same location

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12
Q

What is Harvard Architecture and where is it typically used?

A

Instructions and data are stored in two separate locations

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13
Q

What are the 4 components of a processor?

A
  • ALU
  • Control Unit
  • The System Clock
  • General-purpose Registers (Accumulator)
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14
Q

What is register?

A

A small and fast storage unit where data is temporarily stored

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15
Q

What is the role of the Status Register (SR)?

A

Keeps track of the functions of the computer and state of the processor

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16
Q

What is the role of the Memory Buffer Register (MBR)?

A

Used to temporarily store data that is being read from or written to memory

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17
Q

What is the role of the Memory Address Register (MAR)?

A

Holds the address of the memory location from where data is being fetched from or written to

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18
Q

What is the role of the Current Instruction Register (CIR)?

A

Holds the current instruction being executed

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19
Q

What is the role of the Program Counter (PC)?

A

Holds the address of the next instruction to be executed

20
Q

What are the 5 dedicated registers?

A
  • Program Counter (PC)
  • Current Instruction Register (CIR)
  • Memory Address Register (MAR)
  • Memory Buffer Register (MBR)
  • Status Register (SR)
21
Q

What are general purpose registers?

A

Stores the result of each calculation

22
Q

What is the role of the clock in a computer?

A

Generates a signal used to synchronise the components of a computer

23
Q

What is the role of the control unit?

A

To fetch / decode / execute instructions from main memory

24
Q

What is the role of the arithmetic logic unit (ALU)?

A

To perform mathematical calculations

25
Q

What happens in the Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle? (Mentioning registers)

A

Fetch:
Contents of Program Counter (PC) is transferred to Memory Address Register (MAR);

Address bus are used to transfer this address to main memory;

Contents of addressed memory location is loaded into the Memory Buffer Register (MBR);
Transfer of content uses the data bus;

Increment contents of Program Counter (PC) by 1;

Increment Program Counter / PC and fetch simultaneously; A any part of fetch process

Transfer content of Memory Buffer
Register (MBR) to the Current Instruction Register (CIR)

Decode:
Decode instruction held by the Current Instruction Register (CIR);

The control unit decodes the instruction;

Instruction split into opcode and operand;

Execute:
The opcode identifies the type of instruction it is;

Execute instruction by relevant part of processor;

Result stored in accumulator;

Status register updated;

If jump / branch instruction Program Counter/PC is updated;

26
Q

What are the factors that affects the processor performance?

A
  • No. of cores
  • The amount and type of cache
  • Clock speed
  • Word length
  • Address bus width
  • Data bus width
27
Q

What is word length?

A

Number of bits which can be addressed at a time

28
Q

What is a Hard Disk and how does it work?

A

A secondary storage device

  • Made up of disks arranged in a stack
  • Binary digits are represented by magnetise spots on a disk
  • Disks are divided into tracks and sectors
  • The disk continuously spins
  • A drive head can move in and out to read and write data
29
Q

What is a Optical Disk and how does it work?

A
  • Uses laser technology to read and write data
  • Made up of a spiral track that starts from the centre outwards
  • Within the track there’s pits and lands which represent 1s and 0s
  • The track is read by the laser and interprets each reflection from the laser
30
Q

What is a Solid State Drive (SSD) and how does it work?

A

Fast memory

31
Q

Explain the principles of the operations of a Barcode printer?

A
  • Consists of a light source, lens and photoelectric detectors
  • The scanner shines a light on the black and white bands (lines)
  • The white is reflected more than the black (i.e. can distinguish between them)
  • The pattern is turned into electrical data and is analysed by a computer
  • The electrical signal is usually decoded into a number
32
Q

Explain the principles of the operations of a digital camera?

A
  • Shutter opens and lets light through the lens
  • The light is focussed onto a sensor
  • Sensors are made up of millions of transistors which stores the data for one or more pixels
  • As the light hits the sensor it is converted into electrons and the amount of charge is recorded for each pixel in digital form

Mark scheme:
Camera/CCD measures (ambient) light reflected from bar code;
• Camera/CCD converts light into an electrical signal;
• Light reflected back;
• Black areas reflect less light than white;
• Raw image data transmitted to computer;
• Image analysis software analyses image to determine value encoded in
• bar code;

33
Q

Explain the principles of the operations of a laser printer?

A
  • The printer generates a bitmapped image
  • Laser turns on and off and is directed at the drum
  • The drum rotes
  • The drum is coated in a negative charge which the laser neutralises
  • As the drum rotates the image is drawn into the drum
  • The toner is picked up and transferred to the paper
  • Heat and pressure fuse the toner to the paper

Exam Mark scheme:
Page printer;
Print drum coated in (negative static) charge;
Printer generates bit map of page;
Laser beams shone/directed at/”draws” on
print drum;
Via rotating (octagonal) mirror;
Laser is modulated (turned on & off);
Laser removes/neutralises/reverses electric
charge on drum; where image should be
dark/black:
Toner is given (negative) charge;
Charged drum picks up toner;
Toner transferred from drum to paper; (“from
drum” may be implicit in order of answer)
Toner is fused/bonded/melted/stuck to paper
by (heated rollers/pressure; (must be clear
that toner is already on paper when it is
fused, not still on drum)

34
Q

Explain the principles of the operations of a RFID?

A
35
Q

Explain the effect of increasing the width of the data bus.

A

increase the number of bits that can be transferred at one time… increasing the speed

36
Q

Explain the effect of increasing the width of the address bus.

A

increases the number of memory addresses

37
Q

Explain precisely the effect of increasing the width of the address bus by 1 bit.

A

The amount of available memory locations will double

38
Q

Explain the effect of increasing clock speed.

A
  • instructions performed more quickly
  • instructions executed at faster rate
  • fetch execute cycle will happen faster
  • increased heat may cause malfunctioning of device
  • overheating
39
Q

What is the stored program concept and explain the process?

A

The idea that instructions and data are stored together in memory

  • instructions are stored in main memory;
  • instructions are fetched, (decoded) and executed by the processor;
  • programs can be moved in and out of main memory
40
Q

Explain why the data bus is bi-directional, but the address bus is one-way only.

A

Data bus has to transport data values to and from various internal components ;

Only the processor assigns address values to the different components;

41
Q

Apart from data, what else is carried on the data bus?

A
  • Instruction(s);
  • address(es);
42
Q

Explain why the address bus only carries addresses in one direction.

A

Address only goes from the processor to main memory

43
Q

Explain the difference between direct addressing and immediate addressing.

A

Direct addressing means that the operand is the memory address
Tells the CPU which address contains the data you want to access

Whereas,

Immediate addressing means the operand is the data.
It loads the data directly

44
Q

What does a instruction consist of?

A

Opcode- Indicates the instruction part i.e. add

Operand- Represents a set of binary data

45
Q

What is a processor instruction set?*

A

The complete set of all the instructions in machine code that can be recognised and executed by a CPU

46
Q

What is the computer notation of the fetch decide execute?

A

Fetch
MAR ——[PC]
PC ——[PC] + 1
MBR —— Memory Contents
CIR ——[MBR]
Decode Instruction
Execute Instruction

47
Q

What is the need for secondary storage within a computer system?

A

We need it because it retains its contents when the power is turned off unlike ram

Computer Science (15 decks)

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