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Comp Org and Design (ARM) > 1. Definitions > Flashcards

1. Definitions Flashcards

1
Q

personal computer (PC)

A

A computer designed for use by an individual, usually incorporating a graphics display, a keyboard, and a mouse.

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2
Q

server

A

A computer used for running larger programs for multiple users, often simultaneously, and typically accessed only via a network.

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3
Q

supercomputer

A

A class of computers with the highest performance and cost; they are configured as servers and typically cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars.

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4
Q

terabyte (TB), tebibyte (TiB)

A

Terabyte (TB) originally 1,099,511,627,776 (2^40) bytes, although communications and secondary storage systems developers started using the term to mean 1,000,000,000,000 (10^12) bytes. To reduce confusion, we now use the term tebibyte (TiB) for 2^40 bytes, defining terabyte (TB) to mean 10^12 bytes.

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5
Q

embedded computer

A

A computer inside another device used for running one predetermined application or collection of software.

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6
Q

Personal mobile devices (PMDs)

A

are small wireless devices to connect to the Internet; they rely on batteries for power, and software is installed by downloading apps. Conventional examples are smartphones and tablets.

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7
Q

Cloud Computing

A

refers to large collections of servers that provide services over the Internet; some providers rent dynamically varying numbers of servers as a utility.

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8
Q

Software as a Service (SaaS)

A

delivers software and data as a service over the Internet, usually via a thin program such as a browser that runs on local client devices, instead of binary code that must be installed, and runs wholly on that device. Examples include web search and social networking.

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9
Q

multicore microprocessor

A

A microprocessor containing multiple processors (“cores”) in a single integrated circuit.

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10
Q

acronym, RAM, CPU

A

acronym A word constructed by taking the initial letters of a string of words. For example: RAM is an acronym for Random Access Memory, and CPU is an acronym for Central Processing Unit.

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11
Q

systems software

A

Software that provides services that are commonly useful, including operating systems, compilers, loaders, and assemblers.

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12
Q

operating system

A

Supervising program that manages the resources of a computer for the benefit of the programs that run on that computer.

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13
Q

compiler

A

A program that translates high-level language statements into assembly language statements.

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14
Q

binary digit (aka bit)

A

One of the two numbers in base 2 (0 or 1) that are the components of information.

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15
Q

instruction

A

A command that computer hardware understands and obeys.

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16
Q

assembler

A

A program that translates a symbolic version of instructions into the binary version.

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17
Q

assembly language

A

A symbolic representation of machine instructions.

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18
Q

machine language

A

A binary representation of machine instructions.

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19
Q

high-level programming language

A

A portable language such as C, C++, Java, or Visual Basic that is composed of words and algebraic notation that can be translated by a compiler into assembly language.

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20
Q

input device

A

A mechanism through which the computer is fed information, such as a keyboard.

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21
Q

output device

A

A mechanism that conveys the result of a computation to a user, such as a display, or to another computer.

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22
Q

liquid crystal display (LCD)

A

A display technology using a thin layer of liquid polymers that can be used to transmit or block light according to whether a charge is applied.

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23
Q

active matrix display

A

A liquid crystal display using a transistor to control the transmission of light at each individual pixel.

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24
Q

pixel

A

The smallest individual picture element. Screens are composed of hundreds of thousands to millions of pixels, organized in a matrix.

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25
Q

integrated circuit (aka chip)

A

A device combining dozens to millions of transistors.

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26
Q

central processor unit (CPU)

A

Also called processor. The active part of the computer, which contains the datapath and control and which adds numbers, tests numbers, signals I/O devices to activate, and so on.

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27
Q

datapath

A

The component of the processor that performs arithmetic operations.

28
Q

control

A

The component of the processor that commands the datapath, memory, and I/O devices according to the instructions of the program.

29
Q

memory

A

The storage area in which programs are kept when they are running and that contains the data needed by the running programs.

30
Q

dynamic random access memory (DRAM)

A

Memory built as an integrated circuit; it provides random access to any location. Access times are 50 nanoseconds and cost per gigabyte in 2012 was $5 to $10.

31
Q

cache memory

A

A small, fast memory that acts as a buffer for a slower, larger memory.

32
Q

static random access memory (SRAM)

A

Also memory built as an integrated circuit, but faster and less dense than DRAM.

33
Q

instruction set architecture. Also called architecture.

A

An abstract interface between the hardware and the lowest-level software that encompasses all the information necessary to write a machine language program that will run correctly, including instructions, registers, memory access, I/O, and so on.

34
Q

application binary interface (ABI)

A

The user portion of the instruction set plus the operating system interfaces used by application programmers. It defines a standard for binary portability across computers.

35
Q

implementation

A

Hardware that obeys the architecture abstraction.

36
Q

volatile memory

A

Storage, such as DRAM, that retains data only if it is receiving power.

37
Q

nonvolatile memory

A

A form of memory that retains data even in the absence of a power source and that is used to store programs between runs. A DVD disk is nonvolatile.

38
Q

main memory. Also called primary memory.

A

Memory used to hold programs while they are running; typically consists of DRAM in today’s computers.

39
Q

secondary memory

A

Nonvolatile memory used to store programs and data between runs; typically consists of flash memory in PMDs and magnetic disks in servers.

40
Q

magnetic disk. Also called hard disk.

A

A form of nonvolatile secondary memory composed of rotating platters coated with a magnetic recording material. Because they are rotating mechanical devices, access times are about 5 to 20 milliseconds and cost per gigabyte in 2012 was $0.05 to $0.10.

41
Q

flash memory

A

A nonvolatile semiconductor memory. It is cheaper and slower than DRAM but more expensive per bit and faster than magnetic disks. Access times are about 5 to 50 microseconds and cost per gigabyte in 2012 was $0.75 to $1.00.

42
Q

local area network (LAN)

A

A network designed to carry data within a geographically confined area, typically within a single building.

43
Q

wide area network (WAN)

A

A network extended over hundreds of kilometers that can span a continent.

44
Q

transistor

A

An on/off switch controlled by an electric signal.

45
Q

very large-scale integrated (VLSI) circuit

A

A device containing hundreds of thousands to millions of transistors.

46
Q

silicon

A

A natural element that is a semiconductor.

47
Q

semiconductor

A

A substance that does not conduct electricity well.

48
Q

silicon crystal ingot

A

A rod composed of a silicon crystal that is between 8 and 12 inches in diameter and about 12 to 24 inches long.

49
Q

wafer

A

A slice from a silicon ingot no more than 0.1 inches thick, used to create chips.

50
Q

defect

A

A microscopic flaw in a wafer or in patterning steps that can result in the failure of the die containing that defect.

51
Q

die, chips

A

The individual rectangular sections that are cut from a wafer, more informally known as chips.

52
Q

yield

A

The percentage of good dies from the total number of dies on the wafer.

53
Q

response time. Also called execution time.

A

The total time required for the computer to complete a task, including disk accesses, memory accesses, I/O activities, operating system overhead, CPU execution time, and so on.

54
Q

throughput. Also called bandwidth.

A

Another measure of performance, it is the number of tasks completed per unit time.

55
Q

CPU execution time. Also called CPU time.

A

The actual time the CPU spends computing for a specific task.

56
Q

user CPU time

A

The CPU time spent in a program itself.

57
Q

system CPU time

A

The CPU time spent in the operating system performing tasks on behalf of the program.

58
Q

clock cycle. Also called tick, clock tick, clock period, clock, or cycle.

A

The time for one clock period, usually of the processor clock, which runs at a constant rate.

59
Q

clock period

A

The length of each clock cycle.

60
Q

clock cycles per instruction (CPI)

A

Average number of clock cycles per instruction for a program or program fragment.

61
Q

instruction count

A

The number of instructions executed by the program.

62
Q

instruction mix

A

A measure of the dynamic frequency of instructions across one or many programs.

63
Q

workload

A

A set of programs run on a computer that is either the actual collection of applications run by a user or constructed from real programs to approximate such a mix. A typical workload specifies both the programs and the relative frequencies.

64
Q

benchmark

A

A program selected for use in comparing computer performance.

65
Q

Amdahl’s Law

A

A rule stating that the performance enhancement possible with a given improvement is limited by the amount that the improved feature is used. It is a quantitative version of the law of diminishing returns.

66
Q

million instructions per second (MIPS)

A

A measurement of program execution speed based on the number of millions of instructions. MIPS is computed as the instruction count divided by the product of the execution time and 10^6.

Comp Org and Design (ARM) (12 decks)

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