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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

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24
Q

USB

A

Type of port connecting devices to a computer

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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

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26
Q

HDMI

A

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

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27
Q

VGA

A

Video Graphics Array
Type of port connecting devices to a computer

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28
Q

HDCP

A

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

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29
Q

Fetch-execute cycle

A

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

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30
Q

PC

A

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

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31
Q

CIR

A

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

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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

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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

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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

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35
Q

ISR/ interrupt handler

A

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

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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

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37
Q

Main components of CPU (4)

A

ALU
CU
System clock
IAS

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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

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39
Q

Function of CIR

A

Current instruction register
Stores current version being decoded and executed

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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

57
Q

Computer ports (3)

A

USB
HDMI
VGA

58
Q

Pros of HDMI (4)

A

Current standard for modern televisions and monitors
Allows for a very fast data transfer rate
Improved security (helps prevent piracy)
Supports modem digital system

59
Q

Cons of HDMI

A

Not a very robust connection (easy to break it when moving)
Limited cable length to retain good signal
Currently 5 cable/connection standards

60
Q

Pros of VGA (4)

A

Simpler technology
Only 1 standard available
Easy to split the signal and connect a number of devices from one source
Very secure connection

61
Q

Cons of VGA(3)

A

Old outdated analogue technology
Easy to bend the pins when making connections
Cables must be of a very high grade to ensure undistorted signal

62
Q

Features of HDMI (4)

A

Use widescreen format (16:9)
Screens use a greater number of pixels (1920 x 1080)
Screens have a faster refresh rate (120Hz or 120Hz frames a second)
Range of colours extremely large

63
Q

Old TVs vs modern HD TVs

A

HD TVs require more data which has to be received at a much faster rate. HDMI increases the bandwidth making it possible to supply the necessary data for high quality sound and visual effects

64
Q

Fetch

A

Next instruction is fetched from the memory address currently stored in the PC and is then stored in the CIR. PC is then incremented so that the next instruction can be processed. This is decoded so that each instruction can be interpreted in the next part of the cycle.

65
Q

Execute

A

Processor passes the decoded instruction as a set of control signals to the appropriate components within the computer system allowing each instruction to be carried out in its logical sequence

66
Q

Fetch-execute cycle in Von Neumann computer model (8)

A

Once instructions are received, the PC contains the address of the memory location of the next instruction to be fetched
The address is than copied from the PC to the MAR using the address bus
The instructions at the memory location in the MAR are temporarily copied into MDR
The contents of the MDR are then copied and placed into the CIR
The PC is then incremented by 1 so it points to the next instruction which has to be fetched
Instruction is decoded and executed by sending out signals via the control bus
Checks if any interrupts to service, if not it starts again

67
Q

Important notation in RTN

A

Register Transfer Notation
Double brackets are used when the contents of the register are not being copied into another register, but rather the data stored un the address shown in the register

68
Q

Interrupts in the fetch execute cycle
Sequence that occurs (5)

A

An interrupt register is used. An interrupt causes one of the bits in the interrupt register to change its status.

At next fetch-execute cycle, the interrupt register is checked bit by bit
Contents would indicate an interrupt had occurred during a previous cycle. CPU services/ignores interrupt depending on its priority.
Once the interrupt is serviced by the CPU, it stops its current task and stores the contents of its registers.
Control is transferred to the ISR
Once the interrupt is fully serviced the register is reset and the contents restores

69
Q

Machine code

A

Programming language the CPU uses

70
Q

Types of low level language (2)

A

Machine code
Assembly language

71
Q

Instruction

A

Single operation performed by a CPU

72
Q

Assembly language

A

Low level chip/machine specific programming language that uses mnemonics

73
Q

Opcode

A

Operation code. Part of a machine code instruction that identifies the action the CPU will perform

74
Q

Operand

A

Part of machine code instruction that identifies data to be used by CPU

75
Q

Source code

A

Computer program before translation into machine code

76
Q

Assembler

A

Computer program that translates programming code written in assembly language into machine code. Can be one or two pass

77
Q

Instruction set

A

Complete set of machine code instructions used by CPU

78
Q

Object code

A

Computer problem after translation into machine code

79
Q

Addressing modules

A

Different methods of using the operand part of a machine code instruction as a memory address

80
Q

Absolute addressing

A

Mode of addressing in which the contents of the memory location in the operand are used

81
Q

Direct addressing

A

Mode of addressing in which the contents of the memory location in the operand are used which is the same as absolute addressing

82
Q

Indirect addressing

A

Mode of addressing in which the contents of the memory location in the operand are used

83
Q

Indexed addressing

A

Mode of addressing in which the contents of the memory location found by adding the contents of the index register (IR) to the address of the memory location in the operand are used

84
Q

Immediate addressing

A

Mode of addressing in which the memory address used in the current memory address added to the operand

85
Q

Relative addressing

A

Mode of addressing in which the memory address used is the current memory address added to the operand

86
Q

Symbolic addressing

A

Mode of addressing used in assembly language programming, where a label is used instead of a value

87
Q

UTRs

A

I75e

88
Q

Programming language understood by CPU

A

Machine code

89
Q

Function of an assembler (2)

A

Translates each assembly language instruction into machine code instruction
Checks the syntax of the assembly language program to ensure only opcodes from the appropriate machine code instruction set are used

90
Q

Types of assemblers (2)
Short explanation of each

A

Single pass - puts machine code instructions straight into computer memory to be executed
Two pass - produces an object program in machine code that can be stored the loaded (using the loader) and executed at a later stage. Scan the source program twice so they can replace labels in the assembly program with memory addresses in the machine code program

91
Q

Pass 1 of a two pass assembler (6)

A

Read assembly language program one line at a time
Ignore anything not required, such as comments
Allocate a memory address for the line of code
Check the opcode is in the instruction set
Add any new labels to the symbol table with the address if known.
Place address of labeled instruction in the symbol table

92
Q

Pass 2 of a two pass assembler (3)

A

Read assembly language program one line at a time
Generate object code (with opcode and operand) from the symbol table generated in pass 1
Save or execute the program

93
Q

Why is the second pass required (assembler)

A

Some labels may be referred to before their address is known.

94
Q

Types of assembly language instructions (5)

A

Data movement
Input and output of data
Arithmetic operation
Unconditional and conditional
Compare

95
Q

Data movement instructions (assembly language)

A

Allows data stored at one location to be copied into the accumulator. This data can then be stored at another location, used in a calculation, used for a comparison or output.

96
Q

B
&
#
What do they represent in assembly language instructions

A

Binary
Hex
Denary

97
Q

Input and output of data instructions (assembly language)

A

Allow data to be read from the keyboard or output to the screen, no opcode is required as a single character is either input to the accumulator or output from the accumulator

98
Q

Arithmetic operation instructions (assembly language)

A

Perform simple calculations on data stored in the accumulator and store the answer in the accumulator, overwriting the original data

AS Computer Science (7 decks)

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