CMPS 290/375

Question 1

What is a Compiler

Answer 1

A computer program (or set of programs) that transforms source code written in a programming language (the source language) into another computer language (the target language, often having a binary from known as object code).

Question 2

What is a Decompiler

Answer 2

A program that translates from a low level language to a higher level language.

Question 3

What is the most common reason for converting source code?

Answer 3

To create an executable program.

Question 4

What is the primary use of a compiler?

Answer 4

The ____ is primarily used for programs that translate source code from a high-level programming language to a lower level language (e.g., assembly language or machine code).

Question 5

What is an Assembler?

Answer 5

A computer program which translates assembly language to an object file or machine language format.

Creates object code by translating combinations of mnemonics and syntax for operations and addressing modes into their numerical equivalents.

Question 6

What is an Instruction?

Answer 6

A single operation of a processor defined by the processor instruction set.

Patterns of bits that by physical design correspond to different commands to the machine.

Question 7

What are the sizes of most modern processors?

Answer 7

16 to 64bits

Question 8

What is the Instruction Set Architecture (ISA)?

Answer 8

The part of the computer architecture related to programming, including the native data types, instructions, registers, addressing modes, memory architecture, interrupt and exception handling, and external I/O.

Question 9

What is a Bit

Answer 9

A binary digit

The basic unit of information in computing and digital communication

Question 10

What is a Byte

Answer 10

A unit of digital information in computing and telecommunications that consists of 8 bits

Smallest addressable unit of memory

-128 to 127

Question 11

What is Assembly Language

Answer 11

A low-level porgramming language for a computer, or other programmable device, in which there is a very strong (generally one-to-one) correspondence between the language and the architectures machine code instructions.

There is a different assembly language for each architecture, unlike high level languages.

Question 12

What is Machine Language

Answer 12

A set of instructions executed directly by a CPU

Each instruction performs a very specific task, such as load, a jump, or an ALU operation on a unit of data in a CPU register or memory

Question 13

What is Moore’s Law

Answer 13

The observation that the number of transistors in a dense integrated circuit doubles approximately every two years

This trend is theorized to continue for two more decades.

Question 14

What is Two’s Compliment

Answer 14

To get the two’s compliment of a binary number, the bits are inverted or “flipped”, by using the bitwise NOT operation: the value of 1 is then the resulting value, ignoring the overflow which occurs when taking the two’s compliment of 0.

EX) number 5
0000 0101
^ that 0 means +

INVERT
1111 1010

Add 1 to the LSB
1111 1011

The result is a signed binary nmber representing the decimal value -5

To reverse then flip the bits again and then flip the LSB

Question 15

How to Add Binary

Answer 15

0 1 1 1
\+ 1 1 1 0
=
----------
  0 1 1 1
\+1 1 1 0
=       1
---------
     1
  0 1 1 1
\+ 1 1 1 0
=     0 1
------
  1  1
  0 1 1 1
\+ 1 1 1 0
=   1 0 1
-----
  1  1
   0 1 1 1
\+  1 1 1 0
= 0 1 0 1
-------
= 10101