Circuits, Computer Architecture, And Analog Vs. Digital Systems Flashcards
How does addition with logic gates work?
Binary addition involves adding two binary numbers digit by digit, considering carry-over bits
Each digit can have two possible values: 0 or 1
The sum of two bits can be 0, 1, or 10 (in the case of a carry)
How do you implement binary addition with XOR?
XOR (Exclusive OR) gate performs bit-wise addition without considering carry
When XORing two bits, the output is…
- 1 if the inputs are different
- 0 if they are the same
By connecting the bits of the two numbers to XOR gates, we can obtain the sum of corresponding bits
*make truth table to figure this out
How do you handle carry with AND?
To handle the carry-over bit, we use the AND gate
The AND gate outputs….
- 1 only when both inputs are 1
- otherwise, it outputs 0
By connecting the bits of the two numbers to an AND gate, we can obtain the carry-out bit
Half adder truth table with carry-out?
(REFER TO SLIDES FOR TABLE)
.
How do you cascade adders for multi-bit addition?
For multi-bit addition, we can cascade multiple 1-bit adders
The carry-out bit from each stage is connected to the carry-in bit of the next stage
This allows for the addition of numbers with multiple bits
What is the Von Neumann computer architecture?
Is a fundamental design concept for computers
Named after mathematician and computer scientist John von Neumann
What are the 3 key components of Von Neumann computer architecture?
- Central Processing Unit (CPU):
- executes instructions and performs calculations
Contains:
- a control unit that includes an instruction register and a program counter
- arithmetic logic unit that performs arithmetic and bitwise operations on integer binary numbers - Memory Unit:
- stores both data and instructions - Input/Output (I/O) Devices:
- facilitate communication between the computer and external devices
What are the 3 main characteristics of Von Neumann computer architecture?
- Stored-Program Concept:
- instructions are stored in memory along with data
- instructions can be fetched, decoded, and executed sequentially - Sequential Execution:
- instructions are executed one after another in a specific order - Single Bus (communication pathway) Architecture:
- data and instructions share a common bus for communication
How does a computer program run?
What are the 4 steps?
Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle:
- Fetch:
- the CPU retrieves the next instruction from memory - Decode:
- the CPU interprets the instruction and determines the operation to be performed - Execute:
- the CPU performs the operation indicated by the instruction - Repeat:
- the cycle continues until the program execution is complete
The Von Neumann architecture forms the basis of “_________” computing systems
Modern
What are 3 modern improvements that were made to the Von Neumann architecture?
- Parallel Processing:
- multiple processor cores or execution units work
simultaneously to execute instructions and perform computations - Caching and Memory Hierarchy:
- multiple levels of memory with varying
speeds and capacities - Pipelining:
- breaks down the execution of instructions into multiple stages, allowing simultaneous processing of different stages simultaneously
In the world of signals & systems, what are the 2 fundamental types?
- Digital:
- computers operate this way
- use digital signals & can only process discrete values - Analog:
- real world is inhertently analog
- physical phenomena represented by continuous signals
- ex. Sound, temp and light
How do we bridge the gap between analog and digital computers?
Digital-to-Analog (D/A) and Analog-to-Digital (A/D) converters are used
What are A/D converters?
They transform analog signals into digital signals
They sample and measure the continuous analog signal at regular intervals
—>converting it into a discrete digital representation
Are found in* various applications…*
Ex. digital audio recording, temperature sensing, and data acquisition systems
What are D/A converters?
They transform digital signals into analog signals
They convert binary digital data
—> into continuous voltage levels or current signals
Commonly used in audio devices to convert digital
audio data into analog signals that can be amplified and played through speakers
When digitizing analog signals, what two important concepts come into play?
Why are these important?
- Quantization
- Sampling rate
Understanding these concepts is essential to ensure accurate and realistic representation of analog signals in the digital domain
What is quantization?
Quantization is the process of converting continuous analog signals into discrete digital values
Involves dividing the range of possible analog signal amplitudes into a finite number of discrete levels
Each level is assigned a digital code or value representing a sample of the original analog signal
The “______” of discrete levels used in quantization determines the resolution/precision of the digitized signal
A “______” number of levels (greater resolution) allows for a more “_________” representation of the original analog signal
Number
Higher; accurate
The resolution is typically expressed in “_____” indicting the number of possible digital values
Bits
Ex. 8-bit, 16-bit, or 24-bit etc…
What is quantization error?
How does this occur?
It is a small error known as quantization error or
quantization noise
This error occurs because the analog signal’s continuous amplitude is approximated by discrete levels during quantization
Ex. Sampling a signal such as sounds at 8-bit resolution will give only 256 discrete levels to encode the full analog range
What is the sampling rate?
Refers to the number of samples taken per second from an analog signal during digitization
It is the time domain resolution
Determines the frequency at which the analog signal is measured and converted into digital samples
Typically expressed in Hertz (Hz) and is commonly referred to as samples per second or samples/sec
What does the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem state?
To accurately reconstruct an analog signal from its samples, the sampling rate must be at least twice the highest frequency component in the signal
This ensures that no information is lost during the sampling process…
= allows for accurate signal reconstruction
