the computer

Question 1

what does the CPU do?

Answer 1

the part of the computer system that runs programs and processes data

Question 2

common CPU components

Answer 2

1. control unit (CU)
2. arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
3. registers
4. cache
5. buses
6. clock

Question 3

what does the control unit (CU) do?

Answer 3

1. fetches, decodes and manages the execution of the instructions
2. issues control signals that control hardware
3. moves data around the system

Question 4

what does the arithmetic logic unit (ALU) do?

Answer 4

performs arithmetic and logical operations or decisions, it is where calculations are done and where decisions are made based on logic

Question 5

what are registers and what are they used for?

Answer 5

they are small amounts of high speed memory contained within the CPU. They are used by the processor to store small amounts of data that are needed during processing such as:

1. the address of the next instruction to be executed
2. the current instruction being decoded
3. the results of calculations

Question 6

different types of registers (5)

Answer 6

1. program counter
2. memory address register (MAR)
3. memory data register (MDR)
4. current instruction register (CIR)
5. accumulator (ACC)

Question 7

what is the cache, what does it do and why is it efficient?

Answer 7

cache is a small amount of high speed memory built directly within the processor. it is used to temporarily hold data and instructions that the processor is likely to reuse. this allows for faster processing as the processor does not have to wait for the data and instructions to be fetched from the RAM

Question 8

what does the clock do?

Answer 8

it is used to coordinate all of the computers components, The clock sends out a regular electrical pulse which synchronises all the components

Question 9

the frequency of the clock is known as the…

Answer 9

clock speed

Question 10

the clock speed is measured in…

Answer 10

hertz

Question 11

the higher the clock speed…

Answer 11

the greater the number of instructions that can be performed in any given moment of time

Question 12

what rate do processors commonly run today?

Answer 12

3 gigahertz (GHz) to 5 GHz, which is 3 billion pulses or cycles per second

Question 13

what does a bus do?

Answer 13

its a high speed internal connection. Buses are used to send control signals and data between the processor and other components

Question 14

three types of buses

Answer 14

address bus

data bus

control bus

Question 14

three types of buses and their functions

Answer 14

address bus - carries memory addresses from the processor to other components such as RAM and input/output devices

data bus - carries the actual data between the processor and the other components

control bus - carries control signals from the processor to other components