COMP3370-02-fundamentals-of-computer-systems

Question 1

What is the purpose of the footer in a presentation?

Answer 1

To insert footer text on every slide

The footer is modified through Insert > Header and Footer…

Question 2

What are the three basic components of the Von Neumann Architecture?

Answer 2

1. I/O interfaces
2. CPU
3. Memory

Question 3

What is a bit?

Answer 3

Basic unit of information in digital devices (true/false, 1/0, on/off)

Question 4

What does the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) do?

Answer 4

Performs arithmetic and logic operations on words

Question 5

What is the function of the Control Unit in the CPU?

Answer 5

Directs the operation of the CPU by converting instructions into signals

Question 6

What is Random Access Memory (RAM)?

Answer 6

Memory that stores data and instructions in a Von Neumann architecture

Question 7

Fill in the blank: A _______ is a group of 8 bits.

Answer 7

Byte

Question 8

What does the fetch-decode-execute cycle involve?

Answer 8

1. Fetching the next instruction
2. Decoding the instruction
3. Executing the instruction

Question 9

What is a program counter (PC)?

Answer 9

Holds the address of the next instruction to be executed

Question 10

What is the function of registers in the CPU?

Answer 10

Store small amounts of fast memory for quick access during instruction execution

Question 11

True or False: The ALU can perform both addition and multiplication.

Answer 11

True

Question 12

What is the role of an assembler?

Answer 12

Translates assembly code into machine code

Question 13

What does memory-mapped I/O refer to?

Answer 13

A special region of memory associated with I/O peripherals

Question 14

What is the significance of logic gates?

Answer 14

They allow us to process bits and build circuits with different functionalities

Question 15

Fill in the blank: The _______ is built from logic gates and performs basic arithmetic operations.

Answer 15

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

Question 16

What is a functional unit in computer architecture?

Answer 16

A component like the ALU, Control Unit, Memory, or Registers that performs specific tasks

Question 17

How is data typically loaded for execution in the CPU?

Answer 17

Data and specific instruction opcode are loaded from memory to registers

Question 18

What are input/output devices?

Answer 18

Devices used to interact with computers, like keyboards and screens

Question 19

Fill in the blank: A _______ is an array of bytes/words in memory.

Answer 19

Memory

Question 20

What are the two operations supported by Random Access Memory?

Answer 20

1. Read a byte/word from an address
2. Write a byte/word to an address

Question 21

What is the fetch stage in the instruction cycle?

Answer 21

The CU takes the next instruction and advances the program counter

Question 22

What is the decode stage in the instruction cycle?

Answer 22

The CU interprets the instruction

Question 23

What is the execute stage in the instruction cycle?

Answer 23

The CU sends signals to relevant functional units to perform the instruction

Question 24

What are examples of x86 instructions?

Answer 24

Examples of x86 instructions include various assembly language commands

Question 25

What are Assemblers?

Answer 25

Programs that take assembly code and translate it to machine code

Question 26

What are Input/Output devices?

Answer 26

Devices used to interact with computers, such as keyboards, mouses, screens, and network cards

Question 27

What is Memory-mapped IO?

Answer 27

A special region of memory associated with I/O peripherals that allows CPU instructions for accessing memory to be used for accessing peripherals

Question 28

What is Port-mapped IO?

Answer 28

A method where special instructions perform I/O operations

Question 29

What are Interrupts?

Answer 29

Signals sent by I/O devices to the CPU to indicate that an I/O action has occurred

Question 30

What is Direct Memory Access (DMA)?

Answer 30

A method used to transfer data directly between I/O devices and memory, bypassing the CPU

Question 31

What does DMA require?

Answer 31

A DMA controller

Question 32

What is Vectorisation?

Answer 32

Running the same instruction on multiple data at the same time

Question 33

What is the challenge of writing sequences of bits?

Answer 33

It is quite hard and error-prone

Question 34

What is assembly code?

Answer 34

A slightly easier form of programming compared to writing sequences of bits

Question 35

What are high-level programming languages?

Answer 35

Languages that are close to the way humans think

Question 36

What are low-level programming languages?

Answer 36

Languages that are close to the machine instructions

Question 37

What are Compilers?

Answer 37

Software that translates high-level languages to low-level code

Question 38

What is the challenge of running multiple programs?

Answer 38

Programs need to share the same machine and run concurrently

Question 39

How do programs use I/O devices?

Answer 39

By reading/writing to memory without interfering with each other

Question 40

What is the Von Neumann architecture?

Answer 40

A model that describes a digital system's components: Memory, CPU (ALU, Control, Registers), I/O devices, Logic gates