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AS Computer Science > Chapter 4 - Processor Fundamentals > Flashcards

Chapter 4 - Processor Fundamentals Flashcards

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1
Q

Von Neumann archtecture

A

Computer architecture which introduced the concept of the stored program in the 1940s

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2
Q

ALU

A

Arithmetic logic unit
Component in the processor which carries out all arithmetic + logical operations

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3
Q

CU

A

Control Unit
Ensures synchronisation of data flow + programs throughout the computer by sending out signals along the control bus

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4
Q

System clock

A

Produces timing signals on the control bus to ensure synchronisation takes place

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5
Q

IAS

A

Temporarily Holds all data + programs needed to be accessed by the control unit. (Programs come from backing store). Done so that read/write operations using the IAS can be done faster than using the backing store. Another name for RAM (primary memory)

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6
Q

ACC

A

Accumulator
Temporary general purpose register which stores numerical values at any part of a given operation

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7
Q

Register

A

Temporary component in the processor which can be general or specific in its use that holds data or instructions as part of the fetch-execute cycle

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8
Q

Status register

A

Used when an instruction requires some form of arithmetic/logical processing

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9
Q

Flag

A

Indicates status of a bit in the status register

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10
Q

Address bus

A

Carries address throughout the computer system

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11
Q

Data bus

A

Allows data to be carried from processor to memory (and visa versa) / to and from input/output devices

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12
Q

Control bus

A

Carries signal from control unit to all other computer components

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13
Q

Unidirectional

A

Bus in which bits can travel in 1 direction only

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14
Q

Bidirectional

A

Bus in which bits can travel in both directions

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15
Q

Word

A

Group of bits used by a computer to represent a single unit

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16
Q

Clock cycle

A

Clock speeds are measured in terms of GHz, the vibrational frequency of the clock which sends out pulses along the control bus - a 3.5bGHz clock cycle means 3.5bbillion clock-cycles a second

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17
Q

Overlocking

A

Changing the clock speed of a system to a higher value than the factory/recommended setting

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18
Q

BIOS

A

Basic input/output system

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19
Q

Cache memory

A

High speed auxiliary memory which permits high speed data transfer and retrieval

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20
Q

Core

A

Unit made up of ALU, control unit and registers which is part of a CPU (may contain a number of cores)

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21
Q

Dual core

A

CPU containing 2 cores

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22
Q

Quad core

A

CPU containing 4 cores

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23
Q

Port

A

External connection to a computer which allows it to communicate with various peripheral devices. Number of different port technologies exist

24
Q

USB

A

Type of port connecting devices to a computer

25
Q

Asynchronous serial data transmission

A

Serial - single wire used to transmit bits of data one after the other.
Asynchronous- sender using its own clock/timer device rather than sharing the same clock/timer with the recipient device

26
Q

HDMI

A

High-definition multimedia interface
Type of port connecting devices to a computer

27
Q

VGA

A

Video Graphics Array
Type of port connecting devices to a computer

28
Q

HDCP

A

High-Bandwidth digital copy protection
Part of HDMI technology which reduces risk of piracy of software and multimedia

29
Q

Fetch-execute cycle

A

Cycle in which instructions and data are fetched from memory and then decoded and finally executed

30
Q

PC

A

Program Counter
Register used in a computer to store the address of the instruction which is currently being executed

31
Q

CIR

A

Current Instruction Register
Register used to contain the instruction which is currently being executed or decoded

32
Q

RTN

A

Register Transfer Notation
Short hand notation to show movement of data and instructions in a processor, can be used to represent the operation of a fetch-execute cycle

33
Q

Interrupt

A

Signal sent from device/software to a processor requesting its attention; processor suspends all operations until the interrupt has been serviced

34
Q

Interrupt priority

A

Given to all interrupts so that the processor knows which need to be serviced first and which are to be dealt with quickly

35
Q

ISR/ interrupt handler

A

Interrupt service routine
Software which handles interrupt requests and sends them to the CPU for processing

36
Q

Features of Von Neumann architecture (4)

A

Central processing unit (CPU or processor)
Processor cable to access memory directly
Computer memories that could store programs as well as data
Stored programs made up of instructions that could be executed in sequential order

37
Q

Main components of CPU (4)

A

ALU
CU
System clock
IAS

38
Q

Special Registers (7)

A

CIR - current instruction register
IX - index register
MAR - memory access register
MDR/MBR - memory data/buffer register
PC - program counter
SR - Status register
Interrupt register

39
Q

Function of CIR

A

Current instruction register
Stores current version being decoded and executed

40
Q

Function of IX

A

Index register
Used when carting out index addressing operations (address code)

41
Q

Function of MAR

A

Stores address of the memory location currently being read from or written to

42
Q

Function of MDR/MBR

A

Memory data/buffer register
Stores data which has just been read from memory or data which is about to be written to memory

43
Q

Function of PC

A

Program counter
Stores address where the next instruction can be found

44
Q

Function of SR

A

Status register
Contains bits (flags) which can be set or cleared depending on the operation
Used when an instruction requires some sort of arithmetic/logic processing

45
Q

Types of registers + explain (2)

A

General purpose registers - eg. ACC, hold data frequently used by the CPU/ can be used by the programmer when addressing the CPU directly

Special purpose registers - have specific functions within the CPU and hold the program state

46
Q

Flags in use by SR (4)

A

Carry flag (C)
Negative flag (N)
Overflow flag (V)
Zero flag (Z)

47
Q

Buses in von Neumann architecture (3)

A

Data bus
Address bus
Control bus

48
Q

How to increase speed of computer system (4)

A

Increase bus width
Increase clock speed
Use multi-core CPUs
Use of cache memories

49
Q

Common types of ports found on modem computers (3)

A

USB cable
HDMI cable
VGA

50
Q

Causes of interrupts (5)

A

Timing signal
Input/output processes
Hardware fault
User interaction
Software error that cannot be ignored

51
Q

Interrupt

A

Signal sent from a device/software to the processor causing the processor to temporarily stop what it’s doing and service the interrupt

52
Q

Machine code

A

Programming language that the CPU uses

53
Q

Description of USB cable

A

Consists of four-wired shielded cable with 2 wires for power and the earth and 2 wires used for data transmission

54
Q

What happens when a device is plugged into a computer using a USB port (3)

A

-Computer automatically detects that a device is present (due to a small change in the voltage level on the data signal wires in the cable)
-Device is automatically recognised + the appropriate device driver is loaded up so that computer and device can communicate effectively
-If new device is detected, the computer will look for the device driver which matches the device, if not available the user is prompted to download the appropriate software

55
Q

Pros of USB system (5)

A

Devices plugged into the computer are automatically detected + device drivers automatically loaded up
Connectors can only fit 1 way which prevents incorrect connections being made
Industry standard so considerable support is available to users
Several data transmission rates are supported
Newer USB standards are backwards compatible with older USB standards

56
Q

Cons of USB system (3)

A

Present transmission rate limited to less than 500 megabits per second
Maximum cable length is about 5 metres
Older USB standard may not be supported in the near future

AS Computer Science (4 decks)

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