System Architecture

Question 1

What is the purpose of the CPU?

Answer 1

To fetch, decode, and execute instructions

The CPU is often referred to as the ‘brains’ of a computer.

Question 2

What are the three main actions performed by the CPU?

Answer 2

Fetch, decode, execute

These actions allow the CPU to process instructions from RAM.

Question 3

What does the Control Unit do?

Answer 3

Controls the flow of data inside and outside the CPU

This includes directing data to registers, RAM, and input/output devices.

Question 4

What functions does the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) perform?

Answer 4

Calculations and logical operations

This includes simple addition, subtraction, and comparisons as well as logical operations like AND and OR.

Question 5

What is the Cache in the context of a CPU?

Answer 5

Very fast memory that stores frequently used data

It is slower than registers but faster than RAM, allowing quick access for the CPU.

Question 6

Fill in the blank: The CPU fetches the next instruction from _______.

Answer 6

RAM

Question 7

True or False: The Control Unit is responsible for performing calculations.

Answer 7

False

The Control Unit manages data flow, while calculations are handled by the ALU.

Question 8

Which unit in the CPU is responsible for performing logical operations?

Answer 8

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

Question 9

Fill in the blank: The Cache is _______ than RAM but _______ than registers.

Answer 9

Faster,slower

Question 10

What type of operations can the ALU perform?

Answer 10

Arithmetic and logical operations

Examples include addition, subtraction, and logical comparisons like AND and OR.

Question 11

What is the Von Neumann architecture?

Answer 11

Von Neumann is based on the idea of a ‘stored program concept’. Both instructions and data are stored in the same memory in binary form.

Question 12

What does the Memory Address Register (MAR) do?

Answer 12

The MAR holds the address of where data is to be fetched or stored.

Question 13

What is the function of the Memory Data Register (MDR)?

Answer 13

The MDR holds the data fetched from or to be written to memory (RAM).

Question 14

What is the role of the Program Counter (PC)?

Answer 14

The PC holds the address of the next instruction in memory.

Question 15

What does the Accumulator do?

Answer 15

The Accumulator holds the intermediate results of calculations.

Question 16

What is clock speed?

Answer 16

This is the number of instructions a single processor core can carry out per second (Hz).

E.g. desktop computers = 3.5 GHz (3 billion instructions per second)

Question 17

What is the purpose of a larger CPU cache?

Answer 17

A larger CPU Cache gives the CPU faster access to frequently used instructions without having to fetch these instructions from RAM. This improves performance.

Question 18

What does the number of cores in a CPU indicate?

Answer 18

Each core in a CPU can process data independently. The more cores a CPU has, the more instructions it can carry out at once.

Question 19

What are embedded systems?

Answer 19

Embedded systems are computers built into other devices like dishwashers and microwaves. They are dedicated systems so are easier to design and produce.