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CPSC 355
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CPSC 355
Untitled Deck
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1
Question
What are the main components of a basic computer system?
Answer
1. Central Processing Unit (CPU) 2. System clock 3. Primary memory (Random Access Memory - RAM) 4. Secondary memory (Hard Disk Drive - HDD or Solid State Drives - SSD) 5. Peripheral input and output devices (e.g., keyboard, monitor) 6. Bus (transfers data between components)
2
Question
What is the function of the Central Processing Unit (CPU)?
Answer
The CPU is the brains of any computer system. It executes instructions (i.e., a program) and controls the transfer of data across the bus.
3
Question
What is the CPU typically contained on?
Answer
A single microprocessor chip. Examples include Intel Core i5 and Apple A7.
4
Question
What are the three main parts of a CPU?
Answer
1. Control Unit (CU) 2. Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) 3. Registers.
5
Question
What is the role of the Control Unit (CU)?
Answer
The CU directs the execution of instructions, loads an operation code (opcode) from primary memory into the Instruction Register (IR), decodes the opcode to identify the operation, transfers data between primary memory and registers if necessary, and directs the ALU to operate on data in registers if necessary.
6
Question
What operations does the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) perform?
Answer
The ALU performs arithmetic and logical operations on data stored in registers, such as adding numbers or performing bitwise operations.
7
Question
What are registers in the context of a CPU?
Answer
Registers are binary storage units within the CPU that store bit patterns, which may include data (integers, floating point numbers), addresses (pointers), instructions, and status information.
8
Question
What are General-Purpose registers?
Answer
Used by a programmer to temporarily hold data and addresses
9
Question
What does the Program Counter (PC) contain?
Answer
The Program Counter (PC) contains the address of the currently executing instruction in memory and is incremented to execute the next instruction.
10
Question
What is the Status Register (SR)?
Answer
The Status Register (SR) contains information flags about the result of a previous instruction, such as overflow or carry.
11
Question
What is the system clock's purpose in a computer system?
Answer
The system clock generates a clock signal to synchronize the CPU and other clocked devices, coordinating operations on the rising or falling edges of a square wave at a particular frequency. Executing instructions at higher clock rates is more productive
12
Question
What is Primary Memory (RAM)?
Answer
Primary Memory, often called Random Access Memory (RAM), allows direct (non-sequential) access to data, is used to store program instructions and data variables, can be written to and read from, is volatile (data disappears when powered off), and consists of a sequence of addressable memory locations each typically being one byte long.
13
Question
What is the typical size of RAM in an iMac 2016 and Raspberry Pi original?
Answer
iMac 2016: 8 GB; Raspberry Pi original: 256 MB.
14
Question
What is the difference between von Neumann architecture and Harvard architecture regarding memory?
Answer
In von Neumann architecture, RAM contains both data and program instructions, while Harvard architecture uses separate memories for data and programs.
15
Question
What does Secondary Memory do?
Answer
Secondary Memory holds a computer's file system, stores files containing programs or data, is nonvolatile (contents persist through power cycles), and is usually embodied on a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid state drive (SSD).
16
Question
What are the benefits of Solid State Drives (SSD) over Hard Disk Drives (HDD)?
Answer
SSDs are faster, have no moving parts, and offer high reliability.
17
Question
What are Peripheral I/O Devices?
Answer
Peripheral I/O Devices allow communication between the computer and the external environment.
18
Question
What are examples of input devices?
Answer
Examples include keyboard, mouse, trackball, joystick, microphone, and scanner.
19
Question
What are examples of output devices?
Answer
Examples include monitor, printer, and speakers.
20
Question
What is the function of buses in a computer system?
Answer
Buses are sets of parallel data signal lines used to transfer information between computer components, subdivided into address, data, and control buses.
21
Question
What does the address bus do?
Answer
• Specifies a memory location in RAM (positive integer) or sometimes communicate to peripheral devices • Common sizes: 32 and 64 bits -> parallel bits
22
Question
What does the data bus do?
Answer
• Used for bidirectional data transfer • Common sizes: 32 and 64 bits
23
Question
What does the control bus do?
Answer
• Control or monitor devices connected to the bus, but hidden from the programmer • Read/write signal for RAM
24
Question
What does the expansion bus do?
Answer
• Makes it easy to connect additional I/O devices to the computer • May be connected to the computer's local bus
25
Question
In Accumulator Machines, where do operands for an instruction come from?
Answer
Operands come from the accumulator register (ACC) and from a single location in RAM, with ALU results always being put into the ACC.
26
Question
What is the significance of Load-store machines?
Answer
In Load-store machines, only load and store instructions can access RAM, while other instructions operate on specified registers in the register file.
27
Question
What is the difference between Accessing RAM and Registers?
Answer
Registers are more quickly accessed than RAM, making operations faster when using registers.
28
Question
What is the typical program sequence in CPU operations?
Answer
1. Load registers from memory. 2. Execute an instruction using 2 source registers, putting the result into a destination register. 3. Store the result back into memory.
29
Question
What is a Register File?
Answer
A Register File is a collection of registers on the CPU.
30
Question
Why should operations be performed on the CPU whenever possible?
Answer
Because it is where the register is located and there is no need to transfer across the bus.