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CompSci > Section 5 - Computer organisation and architecture > Flashcards

Section 5 - Computer organisation and architecture Flashcards

1
Q

what are the internal components of a computer

A
  • processor
  • main memory
  • address bus, control bus, data bus
  • I/O controllers
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2
Q

what is the processor

A

the processor responds to and processes the instructions that drive the computer

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3
Q

what parts are in the processor

A
  • control unit
  • ALU (arithmetic/logic unit)
  • registers
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4
Q

what does the control unit do

A

co-ordinates and controls all the operations carried out by the computer
e.g. FDE

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5
Q

what does the ALU do

A

the ALU can perform different operations on data

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6
Q

what are registers

A

memory cells that operate at high speeds
an accumulator is another word for general purpose register, only really used when there is just one register

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7
Q

what is a bus

A

a set of parallel wires connecting two or more components of a computer

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8
Q

what are the different buses for

A
  • address bus: if the CPU wants to access a particular main memory location
    one way (from processor to memory or I/O controller)
  • data bus: moves around data
    travels in both directions
  • control bus: moves around control signals
    travels in both directions
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9
Q

what is an I/O controllers

A

a device which interfaces between an input or output device and processor

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10
Q

what is von Neumann architecture

A

a shared memory and control bus is used for data and instructions

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11
Q

what is the stored program concept

A

instructions are stored in main memory and fetched and executed by the processor

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12
Q

what is Harvard architecture

A

computer architecture with separate memories and buses for instructions and data
used with digital signal processing (DSP) systems

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13
Q

what are the dedicated registers

A
  • program counter (PC): stores the address of the next instruction to executed
  • current instruction register (CIR): holds the current instruction being executed
  • memory address register (MAR): holds the address of the memory location of the data being executed on
  • memory buffer register (MBR): temporarily stores data read or written from memory
  • status register (SR): contains bits that have been set or cleared
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14
Q

what happens in the fetch stage of the FDE cycle

A
  • the address of the next instruction is copied from the PC to the MAR (via the address bus to main memory)
  • the instruction held at that address moved to the MBR (via the address bus)
  • the contents of the PC is increased by 1
  • the contents of the MBR are copied to the CIR
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15
Q

what happens in the decode stage of FDE cycle

A
  • the instruction held in the CIR is decoded
  • additional data is fetched is necessary and passed to registers
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16
Q

what happens in the execute stage of the FDE cycle

A
  • the instruction is executed, and any calculations needed are carried out by the ALU
  • results are stored in the accumulator, general purpose register or memory
17
Q

what are the factors affecting processor performance

A
  • number of cores
  • amount of cache memory
  • clock speed
  • word length
  • address bus width
  • data bus width
18
Q

what is the difference between direct and immediate adressing

A

in immediate addressing the operand is the actual value
in direct addressing the operand holds the memory address of the value

19
Q

what are the four types of barcode readers

A
  • pen-type readers
  • laser scanners
  • charge-coupled device (CCD) readers
  • camera-based readers
20
Q

how do pen-type readers work

A
  • a light source and photo diode are placed next to each other in the tip of a pen
  • the tip of the pen is dragged across the bars and the photo diode measures the intensity of the light reflected back from the light source
  • dark bars absorb light and space reflects light
  • the waveform generated is converted to a digital pattern
21
Q

how do laser scanner barcode readers work

A
  • has a laser beam and photo diode
  • a laser beam reflects off a moving mirror
  • the photo diode measures the intensity of the light reflected back from the laser
  • dark bars absorb light and spaces reflect light
  • the waveform generated is converted to a digital pattern
  • the mirror means the barcode can be read in many positions
22
Q

how do charge couple device (CCD) readers work

A
  • hundreds of arrays of tiny light senses are lined up in a row in the head of the reader
  • each sensor measures the intensity of the light immediately in front of it
  • the sensors generate a voltage pattern of the barcode
23
Q

how do camera based barcode readers work

A
  • camera and image processing techniques are used to decode the barcode
24
Q

how do digital cameras work

A
  • a digital camera uses a CCD or CMOS sensor with millions of tiny light sensors arranged in a grid
  • the shutter opens, light enters the camera onto the sensor on the back of the lens
  • each sensor measures the brightness of each pixel and turns the light into electricity, storing the amount of charge
  • to record colour, the sensors are placed under colour filters to filter out the wavelengths
  • the binary data is recorded onto the memory card
25
Q

how does radio frequency identification (RFID)

A
  • the RFID chip consists of a small microchip transponder and an antenna
  • the microchip can store and pass data to the receiver
26
Q

how does a laser printer work

A
  • the printer generates a bitmap image of the page
  • using a laser unit and mirror it draws a negative reverse image onto a negatively charged drum, where the affected areas lose their charge
  • the drum then rotates past a toner hopper to attracted charged particles to the areas that have not been lasered
  • these particles are bonded to a sheet of paper using pressure and heat
27
Q

how do hard disks work

A
  • a hard disk has rotating platters coated in magnetic material
  • iron particles on the disk are polarised to represent 1 or 0
  • the disk spins very quickly and a drive head moves across the disk to read the data
  • not very portable, have moving parts
  • have a large capacity
28
Q

how do optical disks work

A
  • the disk has pits and lands
  • at a pit start or end when a laser is shined on it the light scatters so doesn’t reflect well
  • reflective and non-reflective parts are read as 1s and 0s
  • optical disks can be corrupted or damaged easily
  • cheap to produce
29
Q

how do solid-state disks (SSDs) work

A
  • solid state memory comprises of millions of NAND flash memory cells
  • the cell has a flow of electrons
  • a current forces some of the electrons across an insulated oxide layer to a floating gate
    -once the current is turned off the electrons are trapped
  • data is stored as the charge of the floating gate (1 for electron 0 for none)
  • low capacity
  • faster access speed, require less power, more durable
30
Q
A

CompSci (9 decks)

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