Computer Organization and Hardware Part 1

Question 1

Most computer processing takes place in a component called the ___.

Answer 1

CPU

[Explanation]

When talking about personal computers, the CPU (Central Processing Unit) is synonymous with the silicon chip known as the microprocessor, which is programmed to perform various tasks on the data it receives.

Question 2

The CPU consists of the _______ unit, the arithmetic/logic unit (ALU) and the registers (high speed storage areas).

Answer 2

control

[Explanation]

The ALU is an area of the CPU optimized to handle math calculations (i.e. Add and Subtract) as well as logic comparisons (i.e. AND, NOT, and OR).

Question 3

Input, output, and storage equipment that can be added to a computer to enhance its functionality are called __________ devices.

Answer 3

peripheral

[Explanation]

A typical computer includes the system and a variety of input, output and storage devices.

Question 4

An __________ slot is a slot on the motherboard where the user can plug in an expansion card.

Answer 4

expansion

[Explanation]

Expansion slots allow for plug in of expansion cards for additional memory or control of peripheral devices. Common expansion cards include network cards, graphic cards, and memory cards. Most PC computers include 4 to 8 expansion slots.

Question 5

_____ memory drives plug into the computers USB ports and have memory capacities of up to several gigabytes.

Answer 5

Flash

[Explanation]

When plugged into a USB port, flash memory drives show up as an external drive and are a convenient way to transport and transfer data.

Question 6

__________ Memory chips contain fixed computer start up instructions, are loaded at the factory, and are nonvolatile.

Answer 6

Read-Only

[Explanation]

ROM chips contain data that is nonvolatile, meaning that this data is not lost when the computer is turned off. The information on a ROM chip cannot be altered by the user.

Question 7

With _______ memory, free hard disk space is used to extend the capacity of RAM.

Answer 7

virtual

[Explanation]

Virtual memory uses the hard disk to mimic primary storage (RAM). If a program exceeds its available RAM, the Operating System can use an area of hard disk called virtual memory to store parts of data files or programs until needed, thereby gaining almost unlimited memory capacity.

Question 8

Computer ______ temporarily stores instructions and data that the processor is likely to use frequently.

Answer 8

cache

[Explanation]

Cache is lost when the computer power is turned off. Examples of cache include L1, L2, and L3. In all cases, cache is storage located closer to the processor than RAM and therefore can be accessed much more quickly. Cache speeds up processing.

Question 9

The contents of _______ memory, which includes RAM, are lost when the power is turned off.

Answer 9

volatile

Question 10

The computers main ______ typically consists of high speed RAM which stores instructions and data.

Answer 10

memory

[Explanation]

RAM, which stands for Random Access Memory, stores temporary data which is waiting to be stored, processed, or output, and this data is lost if the computer is turned off. RAM usually consists of several circuit boards (chips) that plug directly into the computers system board.

Question 11

One reason a tape drive takes longer to access data than a hard drive is that tape drives use __________ access.

Answer 11

sequential

[Explanation]

A tape drive is an example of a sequential access device; it retrieves data by starting at the beginning of the tape and reading each record until the required data is found. A hard drive, on the other hand, is a random access device, which allows it to go directly to the requested data.

Question 12

Random access storage allows access to any location in any _____.

Answer 12

order

[Explanation]

Random access storage devices are able to go directly to the requested data. Examples of random access storage include computer hard disk drives, RAM, flash drives, floppy drives and CD-ROM drives. Random access is much faster than sequential access storage (tape).

Question 13

A kilobyte is a unit of measurement equaling ____ bytes of data.

Answer 13

1024

[Explanation]

The prefix “kilo” means a thousand. A kilobyte is generally abbreviated as KB.

Question 14

A megabyte is a unit of measurement roughly equaling one _______ bytes.

Answer 14

million

[Explanation]

The prefix “mega” means a million. A megabyte is often abbreviated as MB.

Question 15

A ________ is a unit of measurement roughly equaling one billion bytes.

Answer 15

gigabyte

Question 16

Using a technology called __________, the processor can start executing an instruction before the previous instruction completes. This can enhance computer performance.

Answer 16

pipelining

Question 17

With ______ processing, the CPU must complete all steps in the instruction cycle before it begins to execute the next instruction.

Answer 17

serial

[Explanation]

With serial processing, instructions are executed sequentially in the order received.

Question 18

A unit of measure equaling one binary digit is a ___. This is the smallest unit of data that a system can handle.

Answer 18

bit

[Explanation]

In everyday life, we generally use a base 10 system, meaning that we have 10 digits to choose from when we are expressing a number (i.e. 0 through 9). A computer uses a binary system (base 2). That means that it only has 2 digits to choose from (i.e. 0 and 1).

Question 19

The number of bits limits how big of a number can be expressed. To calculate this limit, simply do 2n, where n is the number of ____.

Answer 19

bits

[Explanation]

For example, the largest number an 8-bit variable can hold is 255 (28 equals 256, but a computer starts at 0, so it can express anywhere from 0 through 255). Note that this is why, for instance, an 8 bit video card is limited to displaying 256 colors.

Question 20

A unit of measure equaling _ bits is a byte.

Answer 20

8

Question 21

A computers word size is the number of ____ that the processor may process at any one time.

Answer 21

bits

[Explanation]

The more bits in a word, the faster the computer. Examples of word size in modern computers include 16, 32, and 64 bits.

Question 22

A computer with a 64 bit word size will transfer data within the microprocessor at _ bytes at a time.

Answer 22

8

[Explanation]

To convert from word size to bytes, you must divide by 8 because there are 8 bits in a byte. Therefore, when we’re dealing with a 64 bit word size, we divide by 8 and the result is 8 bytes.

Question 23

A device driver is system software used by the computer to control _________ devices.

Answer 23

peripheral

[Explanation]

Device drivers refer to software that allows a peripheral device to communicate with the computer. They are small programs which run in the background and are used by devices such as modems, storage devices, mice, keyboards, monitors, printers, sound cards, network cards.

Question 24

The series of events which takes place in a set order and at specified intervals, that occurs when the processor retrieves an instruction from storage and executes it, is called the instruction _____.

Answer 24

cycle

[Explanation]

The instruction cycle is also often referred to as the machine cycle.

Question 25

Fetch, ______, execute and store are the four basic operations of the machine cycle.

Answer 25

decode

[Explanation]

For every software instruction, the CPU control unit carries out four basic operations known as the machine cycle.

Question 26

What are the four basic operations of the machine cycle?

Answer 26

1) Fetch
2) decode
3) Execute
4) Store

Question 27

___________ occurs when stored files on a hard drive are scattered across noncontiguous sectors.

Answer 27

Fragmentation

[Explanation]

When a file is saved to disk, it isnt always saved in adjacent sectors; in other words, the data making up the file is spread out over the hard drive. This is called fragmentation. Fragmentation slows down file retrieval.

Question 28

By using a _______________ utility, files on a disk are rearranged so that they are stored in contiguous clusters.

Answer 28

defragmentation

[Explanation]

Defragmentation can improve disk drive performance by helping the computer operate more efficiently.

Question 29

Disk scanner software detects and corrects certain types of common problems on hard disks, floppies, and CDs. It also searches for and removes ___________ files (temp files).

Answer 29

unnecessary

Question 30

File ___________ is a method of removing repetitive elements of a file causing the file to require less storage space and less time to transmit.

Answer 30

compression

[Explanation]

Decompression is used to restore the file to its original condition by replacing the repeated patterns that were removed during file compression.

Question 31

Multiple files which have been consolidated into one ___ and compressed to reduce size and download time are said to be zipped.

Answer 31

file

[Explanation]

Zipped files are unzipped as part of the installation process.