CPU, Memory & Program Execution Flashcards
What are the fundamental components of a computer system?
Hardware and software, including data representation, CPU, memory, program execution, assembly language, compilation, interpretation, and subroutines.
What are the five basic parts of a computer system?
Memory, Control Unit, Arithmetic/Logic Unit (ALU), Input Unit, Output Unit.
What are the three key properties of computer memory?
Separate locations, addresses, and values.
How is memory organized in a computer system?
A series of separate locations, each holding 1 byte (8 bits)
What is a memory address?
A unique number that identifies a specific memory location
Why is memory capacity considered finite?
Memory locations have limited space, so data might not fit in one location
What is a memory word, and how is it structured?
A group of four (32 bits) or eight (64 bits) bytes used as a single unit.
What does ‘random access’ mean in RAM?
The ability to access any memory location in any order.
What does the control unit do?
Controls the Fetch/Execute cycle and decodes instructions
What are the steps of the Fetch/Execute Cycle?
Instruction Fetch (IF), Instruction Decode (ID), Data Fetch (DF), Instruction Execution (EX), Result Return (RR).
What happens during the Instruction Fetch step?
The control unit gets the next instruction from memory using the Program Counter (PC).
What is the purpose of the Instruction Decode step?
The control unit reads the instruction to decide what operation to do.
What is retrieved during the Data Fetch step?
The needed data is fetched from memory and loaded into the ALU.
What happens during the Instruction Execution step?
The ALU does the operation (like addition or subtraction)
Where is the result stored after execution?
The result is saved in the specified memory location.
What operations can the ALU perform?
Arithmetic operations (add, subtract) and logical operations (AND, OR, NOT).
What is the function of the input unit?
To get data from external sources and send it to the computer.
What is the purpose of the output unit?
Send data from the computer to other devices
What are peripherals, and how do they interact with the computer?
External devices (like printers and keyboards) connect through input/output ports.
How does a computer execute a program?
The program loads into memory, and the Program Counter (PC) gets the first instruction’s address. Then, the Fetch/Execute Cycle starts.
How does a computer see software?
A long list of 0s and 1s stored in memory as instructions
What does clock speed measure?
How many instructions run each second, measured in MHz or GHz
What does an ADD instruction in assembly language do?
Add values from memory location and store the result in another location
