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Computer Science Cards Rewrite > Hardware > Flashcards

Hardware Flashcards

1
Q

What are input devices

A

Anything used to input into a computer

E.g. keyboard, mouse etc.

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2
Q

What is a processor (CPU)

A

The brain of the computer

Controls the transmission of data to and from main memory.

Processes the data in main memory

Controls the transfer of data between input, output and memory

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3
Q

What are output devices

A

Anything the user can see or hears will be done by an output device

E.g. a speaker, monitor etc.

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4
Q

What is RAM cache memory

A

A fast type of memory which sits on the processor

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5
Q

What is external backing store

A

A large storage device used to hold data when the computer is offline

E.g. hard disk

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6
Q

What is RAM

A

Random Access Memory

Used to store anything running on the computer at the current moment

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7
Q

What is ROM

A

Read Only Memory

Used to store small amounts of information used to boot up

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8
Q

Is RAM Volatile or Non-Volatile

A

RAM is Volatile (data is lost when power is removed)

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9
Q

What does RAM memory hold

A

Like all memory RAM can hold program instructions (e.g. a game) and data (e.g. a score in a game)

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10
Q

What happens to programs to be executed

A

They are first loaded from backing store (e.g. Hard disk) into RAM before being run

This is because RAM is much faster

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11
Q

Is ROM volatile or Non-Volatile

A

ROM is Non-Volatile (data remains when power is turned off)

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12
Q

How does a computer boot up?

A

ROM holds a simple operating system (BIOS) ‘burnt’ onto the chip at the time of manufacture

The BIOS runs a ‘bootstrap loader’ that looks for another operating system (e.g. Windows, Linux) to load into RAM from backing store

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13
Q

Name the different components of the CPU

A

Control unit

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

registers

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14
Q

Name all the special registers in the CPU

A

MAR (Memory Address Register)

MDR (Memory Data Register)

PC (program counter)

CIR (Current Instruction Register)

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15
Q

What is the instruction set

A

The commands available to the CPU

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16
Q

What is a Control Unit

A

A control unit fetches each instruction in sequence from memory, decodes and synchronises it before executing it by sending control signals to other parts of the computer

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17
Q

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

A

Carries out the processing and manipulation of data

Consists of arithmetic operations Or logical comparisons

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18
Q

What are registers

A

Temporary memory locations within the CPU

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19
Q

What does the MAR (Memory Address Register) do

A

Holds the address of the memory location currently being accessed

In the fde cycle it holds the address in main memory that is currently being read or written

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20
Q

What does the MDR (Memory Data Register) do

A

Holds data read from (or to be written to) memory

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21
Q

What does the CIR (Current Instruction Register) do

A

Stores the instruction most recently fetched from memory

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22
Q

What are buses

A

Collections of wires inside the CPU

They transmit information between the components and also to input/output devices

There are 3 different bus types

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23
Q

What is an Address bus

A

This is used to specify the address in memory where data will be read from or written to

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24
Q

What is a Data bus

A

Used to transfer data from memory into the CPU

Or from CPU back to memory

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25
What is a control bus
Used to send control signals between parts of the computer
26
What does RAM cache memory attempt to solve?
It attempts to solve the von neumann bottleneck This is where the processor runs much faster than the memory by acting as a middleman between main memory and the registers.
27
What are the properties of cache memory
Cache is small, extremely fast memory
28
Where is cache memory located
On or near the processor
29
What happens to data and instructions in cache memory
Data and instructions that are used regularly are stored in cache and retrieved by the processor when necessary When the cache is full least recently used data is discarded
30
What is disk cache
Works similar to RAM cache as it keeps blocks of data in RAM so that recently accessed blocks can be read more quickly again from RAM rather than having to read from the slower hard disk
31
Name a problem with the von neumann architecture
The program instructions and data are accessed via the same data and address buses Meaning that unstructured being fetched and data being accessed compete for the same resources
32
What is parallel processing
The use of more than one processor or processor core to perform a single task.
33
What is an advantage of parallel processing
It is useful where large/complex calculations are being carried out E.g. image processing, weather forecasting
34
What is assembly language
A very low level language Very close to machine code Commands are very simple
35
Explain the fetch decode execute cycle
1. The value in the PC is incremented by one 2. The address value is then stored in the MAR 3. The address is then sent from the MAR along the address bus to the main memory RAM 4. The instruction at thst address is found and returned along the data bus to the MDR 5. At the same time the PC increments by one 6. The control unit then loads the CIR from the MDR with the instruction to be executed 6. The instruction is then decoded and executed
36
What is speech recognition
Providing input into the computer via your voice
37
What is speech synthesis
The computer is outputting speech
38
What is handwriting recognition
When you write on a tablet and the computer will read what is being written
39
What are the advantages of speech recognition
- no need to type - faster input - very useful for some disabled people - useful when hands are occupied
40
What are the disadvantages of speech recognition
Background noise can cause problems Accents - may have to "learn" May not recognise slang words Colds, speech impediments etc.
41
What are the three types of speech recognition
Speech dictation Command and control Voice recognition
42
What does speech dictation do
Records every word
43
What does speech command and control do
Use your voice for commands to do certain things
44
What does voice recognition do
Measures the unique biological factors of your voice Can then be used for authentication
45
What are the advantages of speech synthesis
Computer able to read documents/emails/ebooks Useful for the partially sighted Used to help people pronounce words No need to look at screen, tells information when eyes are occupied (e.g. satnav)
45
What are the advantages of speech synthesis
Computer able to read documents/emails/ebooks Useful for the partially sighted Used to help people pronounce words No need to look at screen, tells information when eyes are occupied (e.g. satnav)
46
What are the disadvantages of speech synthesis
Often quicker to read it yourself Voice often sounds unnatural
47
What are the advantages of handwriting recognition
Many people can write faster than they can type No need to learn a new skill to type Useful when there is limited space
48
What are the disadvantages of handwriting recognition
Not always 100% accurate Some handwriting is very difficult to interpret Using the pen interface can feel unnatural
49
Name interfaces that can be used for people with disabilities
Speech recognition Foot controlled keyboard/mouse Oversized keyboard Head/eye movement detector Large/clear fonts
50
How is assembly language converted to machine code
Using an assembler
51
What is mechanical storage
Any storage that has moving parts involved e.g. HDD, CD-ROM
52
What are the disadvantages of Hard Disks
More likely to be damaged if dropped due to moving part Will sometimes require defragmentation
53
What is an advantage of Hard Disks
They generally have a long life span
54
What are solid state drives
Direct replacements for hard drives Has no moving parts
55
Disadvantages of SSD
Tend to be less reliable over time Direct replacement for hard-drives Use more expensive flash memory
56
Advantages of solid state drives
Made up of NAND flash which is shock resistant No moving parts so tends to be more power efficient Tend to be lighter, quieter and run cooler than traditional hard drives
57
What is a bit
A bit is a binary digit (0 or 1)
58
What is a byte
A byte is 8 bits
59
How big is a kilobyte (Kb)
1024 bytes
60
How big is a megabyte (Mb)
1024 Kb
61
How big is a gigabyte (Gb)
1024 Mb
62
How big is a terabyte (Tb)
1024Gb
63
What is word size
The number of bits that the processor can deal with in a single operation. E.g. a 64 bit pc has a word size of 64 bits (8 bytes)
64
What is fragmentation
When a file system cannot or will not allocate enough contiguous space to store a complete file as a unit, but instead puts parts of it in gaps between existing files
65
Why is it slower to open a fragmented file
The read/write head on the disk drive has to move to lowd each part from a different track and mechanical movement slows the operation down.
66
Why do the gaps between files exist?
Because they formally held a file that the operating system has subsequently deleted
67
What is data defragmentation
When necessary an operating system will run a defragmentation routine Moves the blocks around to make sure that the files take up a contiguous set of blocks
68
Why do SSD's not require defragmentation
There are no mechanical read/write heads to move and therefore fragmentation does not slow down operation
69
Characteristics of CPU
Expensive Stored on or next to CPU

Computer Science Cards Rewrite (18 decks)

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