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Computer Science > Section 1 - Components of a Computer > Flashcards

Section 1 - Components of a Computer Flashcards

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1
Q

CPU

What are the 3 parts of the CPU?

A

Control Unit
Arithmetic Logic Unit
Reigisters

CU, ALU, Registers

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2
Q

CPU

What does the Control Unit (CU) do?

A

Controls the activity of the CPU

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3
Q

CPU

What does the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) do?

A

Performs arithmetic and logical operations on given data

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4
Q

CPU

What instructions does the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) accept?

A

ADD,
SUBTRACT, MULTIPLY, DIVIDE, AND, OR, NOT, XOR

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5
Q

CPU

What is a register?

A

A small space of CPU memory

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6
Q

CPU

What are the 5 registers?

A

Program Counter
Memory Data Register
Memory Address/Buffer Register
Current Instruction Register
Accumulator

PC, MDR, MAR/MBR, CIR, ACC
Address and Buffer are interchangeable

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7
Q

CPU

What does the Program Counter (PC) do?

A

Increments/Updates with after each Fetch/Decode/Execute cycle and points to the next instruction

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8
Q

CPU

What does the Memory Data Register (MDR) do?

A

Where fetched data goes

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9
Q

CPU

What does the Memory Address/Buffer Register (MAR/MBR) do?

A

Points to next fetch address

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10
Q

CPU

What does the Current Instruction Register (CIR) do?

A

Holds the current instruction

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11
Q

CPU

What does the Accumulator (ACC) do?

A

Holds the result of calculations from the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

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12
Q

Busses

What are the 3 busses?

A

Data Bus
Address Bus
Control Bus

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13
Q

Busses

What does the Data Bus do?

A

Moves data between the CPU and RAM. Data can travel either in direction.

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14
Q

Busses

What does the Address Bus do?

A

Moves the address from the CPU to RAM. The address only travels one-way.

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15
Q

Busses

What does the Control Bus do?

A

Sends signals from the CPU to elsewhere in the computer.
Signals may incldue: Read/Write, Clock, Overflow, etc.

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16
Q

Fetch/Decode/Execute

What are the steps of the Fetch/Decode/Execute (FDE) cycle?

6 steps in total

A
  1. PC → MAR
  2. PC + 1
  3. Address Bus and Data Bus → MDR
  4. MDR → CIR
  5. Decode instruction into Opcode and Operand
  6. Execute
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17
Q

CPU Performance

What are the 3 things to consider when looking at CPU performance?

A

Cache Memory
Clock Speed
Number of Cores

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18
Q

CPU Performance

How does cache memory affect CPU performance?

A

Fastest memory that stores common instructions

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19
Q

CPU Performance

How does clock speed affect CPU performance?

A

Number of operations per second.

20
Q

CPU Performance

How does the number of cores affect CPU performance?

A

Concurrent processes

Concurrent can be replaced with any synonym (e.g. simultaneous)

21
Q

Pipelining

What is pipelining?

A

.

22
Q

Types of Processor

What are the names of the two different CPU architectures?

A

Von Neumann
Harvard

23
Q

Types of Processor

What are the features of Von Neumann Architecture?

A

One memory
(Simpler, and more flexible)

24
Q

Types of Processor

What are the features of Harvard Architecture?

A

Instructions and Data are seperate
(Fast)

25
Q

Types of Processor

What is CISC?

A

Complex Instruction Set Computer

26
Q

Types of Processor

What is RISC?

A

Reduced Instruction Set Computer

27
Q

Types of Processor

What are the benefits of using CISC over RISC?

4 benefits

A

Programs can be shorter
Easier to write code
Less RAM space required to store instructions
Compiler performs less work to translate code

28
Q

Types of Processor

What are the benefits of using RISC over CISC?

3 benfits

A

Cheaper
Predictable execution times (good for pipelining)
More energy efficient per instruction

29
Q

Types of Processor

What is a co-processor?

A

An extra processor used to supplement the functions of the primary processor (CPU)

30
Q

Types of Processor

What is parallel processing?

A

The use of multiple processors/cores to perform multiple tasks at once

31
Q

Types of Processor

What is multicore processing?

A

The use of multiple cores to perform multiple tasks at once

Subset of parallel processing, therefore very similar in definition

32
Q

Types of Processor

What is a GPU?

Give the full name as well as its description

A

Graphics Processing Unit
A specialised processor with thousands of small cores, only capable of completing simple tasks but doing so extremely efficiently.

The GPU is a type of co-processor

33
Q

Types of Processor

Give examples of what a GPU can be used for

3 examples

A

Machine learning
Bitcoin mining
Rendering graphics

34
Q

Input Devices

What is an input device?

A

A device that can accept data from user to computer

35
Q

Input Devices

What is an output device?

A

Device that transmits data from computer to user

36
Q

Input Devices

Give examples of input devices

3 examples

A

Barcode readers (QR or 2D barcode)
Digital cameras
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)

37
Q

Output Devices

Give examples of output devices

3/5 examples

A

Screens
Printers
Multimedia projectors
Speakers
Actuators

38
Q

Storage

What is a Hard Disk Drive (HDD)/magnetic storage?

A

A Hard Disk Drive (HDD) uses magnetic polarisation to represent 0 and 1. The drive head reads/writes data on tracks as the disk spins.

39
Q

Storage

What are the benefits and drawbacks of using a Hard Disk Drive (HDD)/magnetic storage over other storage methods?

A

Advantages:
* Huge storage capacity
* Long lifespan
Disadvantages:
* Not very portable
* Slow to read if data is fragmented

40
Q

Storage

What is optical disk storage?

A

.

41
Q

Storage

What are the benefits and drawbacks of using an optical disk/optical storage over other storage methods?

A

.

42
Q

Storage

What is a Solid State Drive (SSD)?

A

.

43
Q

Storage

What are the benefits and drawbacks of using a Solid State Drive (SSD) over other storage methods?

A

.

44
Q

Storage

What is RAM?

A
45
Q

Storage

What is ROM?

A
46
Q

Storage

What is virtual memory?

A

Computer Science (10 decks)

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