Unit 1 - System Architecture Flashcards
What is an input device?
An input device is a device that gives a signal to the computer.
What is an output device?
An output device is a device that receives a signal from the computer and outputs something.
What is a processing device?
A processing device processes instructions and executes them.
When was Von Neumann architecture discovered?
Von Neumann architecture was discovered in 1944.
What does Von Neumann architecture involve?
Von Neumann architecture involves storing the program instructions and the data the programs are using in the same memory.
Name the two major units in the CPU.
The two main components in the CPU are the Control Unit and the Arithmetic-Logic Unit (CPU).
List the order of speed for data stores in the CPU. (fastest to slowest)
In order to fastest to slowest, the order of speed for data stores in the CPU is registers, cache and RAM.
Name four registers in the CPU.
Four registers in the CPU are the Program Counter (PC), the Memory Address Register (MAR), the Memory Data Register (MDR), and the Accumulator.
What does the program counter do?
The program counter holds the address for the next instruction to be executed.
What does the Memory Address Register do?
The Memory Address Register holds the memory address of the current instruction and then the data that it uses, so that these can be fetched from memory.
What does the Memory Data Register do?
The Memory Data Register holds the actual instructions and then the data that has been fetched from memory.
What does the Accumulator do?
The accumulator holds the result of an instruction before it is transferred to memory.
What does the Control Unit do?
The control unit coordinates and controls all of the activities taking place within the CPU. It also decodes instructions and executes them, it receives signals from the system clock and it directs the timing and control of other parts of the CPU.
What does the Arithmetic Logic Unit do?
The ALU is where the actual arithmetic operators are done. It also carries out logical operations such as AND, OR and NOT.
What is the name of the three operations that the CPU operates by?
The three operations are Fetch, Decode and Execute.
What happens in the Fetch part of the Fetch-Execute cycle?
In Fetch, the next instruction and any data involved is fetched from main memory.
What happens in the Decode part of the Fetch-Execute cycle?
In Decode, the instruction is decoded.
