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Computer Science > Hardware #1 > Flashcards

Hardware #1 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is CPU short for?

A

Central Processing Unit

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2
Q

What is inside a processor?

A

Transistors

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3
Q

Use of a transistor?

(4 things)

A
  • Stores zeros and ones
  • Microscopic switches that control flow of electricity
  • depending if switch on/off
  • Transistor contains binary info
    1 = current passes thru
    0 = current doesn’t pass thru
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4
Q

Where are transistors located in CPU?

A

Very thin slice of silicon (single silicon chip)

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5
Q

How many transistors are there in a silicon chip?
How much silicon chips are there in a CPU?

A

Thousands

A large number

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6
Q

How much do silicon chips cover on the CPU?
Benefit of this?

A

Couple of square centimetres

Able to hold several million transistors, processing hundreds of millions of instructions per second

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7
Q

What is CPU architecture?

A

The design of a Microprocessor, an integrated circuit, where components of CPU are combined as a single unit

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8
Q

Who was Von Neumann?
What he do?

A

• A guy who proposed idea of storing program instructions
• in same memory as the data

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9
Q

What did the idea of stored program lead to?

A
  • Computers being able to be easily re-programmed
  • The basis of fetch-decode-execute cycle (FDE)

stored program = Von Neumann architecture

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10
Q

What are CPUs really used for?

A

Processing data and instructions

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11
Q

What are the 4 components of the CPU?

A
  • controller
  • Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)
  • registers
  • internal memory
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12
Q

What does the controller do?

(CPU)

A
  • Sends and receives signals from all parts of computer
  • Ensures processes take place at right time in correct order
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13
Q

What does arithmetic and logic unit (ALU) do?

(CPU)

A
  • Processes and manipulates data
  • Performs simple calculation on data temporarily stored in registers
  • Can perform comparisons on data
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14
Q

What do registers do?

(CPU)

A
  • Temporarily store data/control info
  • Faster than internal memory
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15
Q

What is the internal memory?

(CPU)

A
  • Fast access temporary storage
  • Data moved here from register if not being actively used
  • Data here written to RAM/called back into register
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16
Q

What do buses do?

(CPU)

A
  • Allow data to be transferred to different parts of computer
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17
Q

What are the 3 main buses

(CPU)

A

Address bus
Data bus
Control bus

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18
Q

What does address bus do?

(CPU)

A
  • When data saved or loaded from memory,
    the address where it’s to be stored/loaded from must be sent
  • Storage address of data always travels along an address bus
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19
Q

What is the data bus?

(CPU)

A
  • The path where data travels through
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20
Q

Use of control bus?

(CPU)

A
  • Used by controller to send control signals to diff parts of computer
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21
Q

Describe fetch-decode-execute cycle

(3 steps to processing instructions given by currently running program)

(CPU)

A
  1. Fetch cycle - takes address required from memory
    Stored in current instruction register
    * Moves program counter on one, to points at next instruction
  2. Control unit authenticates the instruction in current instruction register
    * Instruction decoded to determine action needed to be carried out
  3. Actual actions happening during execution cycle depend on the instruction itself
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22
Q

What do ppl demand from CPUs?

A

Faster processing speed

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23
Q

What is cache memory?

(CPU)

A
  • Fast access type of memory
  • Depending on size, improves performance of CPU
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24
Q

Problem with cache memory in CPU?

A

Expensive, most pc systems have very little cache memory, relying on RAM

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25
Q

What unit is used for clock speed?

A

Hz

Should be self explanatory for this page

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26
Q

Why fan used in case?

A
  • Draw cool air into case
  • Expel hot air
  • Uses heat sink to cool components
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27
Q

Why are number of cores good?

(2 things)

(CPU)

A
  • Single core process instructions one after the other
  • Dual core process two instructions at same time

long story short, fast processing if multiple cores

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28
Q

2 types of processors?

A
  • RISC processor
    Reduced Instruction Set Computer
  • CISC processor
    Complex Instruction Set Computer
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29
Q

What do RISC processors do?

A

Reduced Instruction Set Computer

  • Process limited number of simple instructions
  • Does complex commands by breaking it down into a longer list of simple instructions
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30
Q

3 advantages of RISC processors?

A

+ Processes simple instructions easily
+ Less circuitry to decode and execute instructions
+ Less power consumption, less heat

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31
Q

What do CISC processors do?

A

Complex Instruction Set Computer

  • Process large number of complex instructions
  • Can complete complex tasks with few instructions
32
Q

An advantage and 2 disadvantages of CISC processors?
(opposite of RISC)

A

+ Process complex instructions without breaking it down

  • More circuitry to decode and execute instructions
  • More power consumption, more heat
33
Q

Define input device

A

Allow data (text, images, video, sound) to be entered into computer system

34
Q

Define output device

A

No definition…?

But an e.g. is monitor or printer sooo

35
Q

List at least 3 input devices

A

1) mouse
2) keyboard
3) microphone

36
Q

List at least 3 output devices

( get some from definition of output device )

A

1) monitor
2) speaker
3) printer

37
Q

List 4 primary storages

A

RAM
ROM
Flash memory
RAM Cache memory

38
Q

What is RAM (random access memory) used for?

(think of it as internal memory ish)

(primary storage)

A
  • Temporary storage of currently running programs and data
  • Consists of large number of store locations
  • Identified by a unique address
  • Data can be changed in these

Ain’t no way they gonna tell us to properly explain this (hopefully)

39
Q

What is ROM (read only memory) used for?

(primary storage)

A
  • Permanent storage of data (no loss when power off)
  • Data can’t be changed here
40
Q

What is Flash memory used for?

(primary storage)

A
  • Permanent storage of data (no loss when power off)
  • Data can be changed
41
Q

What is RAM Cache memory used for?

(primary storage)

A
  • Temporary storage of frequently accessed data & instructions.
  • Contains small number of store locations
  • Can be accessed very quickly by CPU
  • Faster than ram
  • Volatile
42
Q

Define volatile

A

Data lost when power off

43
Q

What is BIOS?

A

Basic Input/Output System

  • Handles input and output operations
  • Provides interface between hardware and OS

(dunno if its needed but its here soooo)

44
Q

Which 2 primary storage permanent?

A

ROM
Flash memory

45
Q

Which 2 primary storage volatile?

A

Cache memory
RAM

46
Q

Which 3 primary storage’s data can be changed?

A

Cache memory
RAM
Flash memory

47
Q

Order primary storage from fastest to slowest

A

1) Cache memory **
2) ROM ***
3) RAM **
4) Flash memory *

48
Q

Define secondary storage

A
  • Backing storage
  • Data from memory written here if not being actively used
  • Can retrieve later
  • Longer than memory (primary storage)
49
Q

General size of videos?

A

GBs

50
Q

General size of basic web page?

A

kBs

51
Q

List 4 secondary storages

A

Flash drive
External hard drive
CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc
Magnetic tape

52
Q

Flash drive used for?
Typical capacity?

(secondary storage)

A

Move small files from work to home

2gb - 512gb

53
Q

External hard drive used for?
Typical capacity?

(secondary storage)

A

Backing up a home computer system

320mb - 8tb

54
Q

CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc used for?
Typical capacity?

(secondary storage)

A

Storing multimedia files (videos/photos ig)

cd = 650mb
dvd = 9gb
blu-ray = 50gb

55
Q

Magnetic tape used for?
Typical capacity?

(secondary storage)

A

Backing large commercial servers on multiple tapes

200gb - 400gb

56
Q

Durability of secondary storages from highest to lowest

A

1) flash drive
2) CD/DVD/Blue-ray disc
3) Magnetic tape
4) External hard drive

57
Q

Fastest secondary storage from highest to lowest

A

1) flash drive
2) External hard drive
3) CD/DVD/Blu-ray disc
4) Magnetic tape

58
Q

3 storage technologies?

A

Optical
Magnetic
Solid state

59
Q

Info of optical storage media?

(storage technology)

A
  • Uses lasers ig
  • The CD thingy
  • Think about transistor binary thing in terms of laser
60
Q

Info of magnetic?

(storage technology)

A
  • Used in hard disks and tapes
  • Data stored on magnetic medium (disc/tape)
61
Q

Info of solid state?

(storage technology)

A
  • Used in storage media like flash memory sticks
  • Has no moving parts compared to magnetic
  • The alternate to magnetic and optical
  • Used in mobile devices
62
Q

How many bits in a Byte?

A

8 bits

63
Q

Whats half a byte called?

A

Nibble

64
Q

How many Bytes in a kB?

A

1024 Bytes

65
Q

Look at page 17.

A

Whatever

66
Q

List 5 additional hardware components

A

Motherboard
GPU (Graphics processing unit)
Integrated GPU
Dedicated GPU
Sound cards

67
Q

Define motherboard

(hardware components)

A
  • Main circuit board of computer
  • Where you put all components of computer
68
Q

Define GPU

(hardware components)

A
  • Microprocessor that performs calculations to produce graphic images on screen
  • Videos & 3D graphics n stuff
69
Q

Define integrated GPU

(hardware components)

A
  • GPU that uses computer’s ram
  • Cheaper than dedicated
  • less heat, less power consumption
70
Q

Define dedicated GPU

(hardware components)

A
  • Has own video memory
  • Better than integrated for visuals
  • More power req.
  • More heat
71
Q

Define sound cards

(hardware components)

A
  • Allow computer to output sound through speaker
  • Or record sound from microphone
  • Or manipulate sound stored on disk

(should be fuckin self explanatory)

72
Q

What are embedded systems?

A
  • Combination of software and hardware
  • That performs a specific task
  • Rather than a general-purpose computer designed to carry out multiple tasks

Think of it as like specialised cells????

73
Q

What’s like a simple definition of embedded systems?

A

Idk man, gl mate lolol

(seems like some kinda CNS or summin)

74
Q

The software called for embedded systems?

A

Firmware

75
Q

2 examples of embedded systems?

A

Electronics - Mobile phones, game console

In the home - Washing machine, refrigerator

Computer Science (14 decks)

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