CS THEORY PAPER 2 - 4.7
Fundamentals of computer
organisation and architecture Exam
Questions & Answers (Grade A+)
processor -
correct answer ✅a device that carries out computation on data by
following instructions, in order to produce an output
main memory -
correct answer ✅- stores data and instructions that will be used by
the processor
- random access memory (RAM): stores data and can be read to
and written from // fast access // volatile
- read only memory (ROM): stores data and can be read from, but
not written to // slower access speed // not volatile // stores
BIOS // smaller capacity than RAM
- returns the instructions / data / value stored in a memory location
(specified on the address bus) (using the data bus)
- program is transferred from secondary storage into main memory
(if program not already in main memory) when program execution
is requested
- increasing this means more/larger programs can be resident in
(main) memory
,CS THEORY PAPER 2 - 4.7
Fundamentals of computer
organisation and architecture Exam
Questions & Answers (Grade A+)
address bus -
correct answer ✅- unidirectional from the processor (only
processor can issue) into memory (and any other components)
- width defines addressable memory // RAM
an n-bit bus would give 2^n directly addressable memory cells
- n-bit bus has n wires
- issued by the processor (comes out of) and goes into everything
else
data bus -
correct answer ✅- bi-directional between everything but from
input and to output
- bigger data bus increases overall system performance
- an n-bit bus has n wires
- if the data bus is the same width as the word length, data can be
transferred to and from memory in a single operation (in one pass)
control bus -
correct answer ✅- controls the flow of data between the
processor and other parts of the computer
, CS THEORY PAPER 2 - 4.7
Fundamentals of computer
organisation and architecture Exam
Questions & Answers (Grade A+)
- bi-directional between everything
- sends control signals to the registers, the data and address buses
these include: memory read / memory write / bus request / bus
bus grant / bus busy / interrupt request / interrupt ACK / clock
signals / status / I/O write / I/O read
I/O controllers -
correct answer ✅- controls the flow of information between the
processor and the input and output devices.
- every device will have its own controller // will translate signals
from the device into the format required by the processor // allows
the peripheral to match the speed of the processor
von neuman architecture -
correct answer ✅- a technique for building a processor where data
and instructions are stored in the same memory and accessed via
buses serially
- linear fetch decode execute cycle, one instruction at a time
- uses the stored program concept
Fundamentals of computer
organisation and architecture Exam
Questions & Answers (Grade A+)
processor -
correct answer ✅a device that carries out computation on data by
following instructions, in order to produce an output
main memory -
correct answer ✅- stores data and instructions that will be used by
the processor
- random access memory (RAM): stores data and can be read to
and written from // fast access // volatile
- read only memory (ROM): stores data and can be read from, but
not written to // slower access speed // not volatile // stores
BIOS // smaller capacity than RAM
- returns the instructions / data / value stored in a memory location
(specified on the address bus) (using the data bus)
- program is transferred from secondary storage into main memory
(if program not already in main memory) when program execution
is requested
- increasing this means more/larger programs can be resident in
(main) memory
,CS THEORY PAPER 2 - 4.7
Fundamentals of computer
organisation and architecture Exam
Questions & Answers (Grade A+)
address bus -
correct answer ✅- unidirectional from the processor (only
processor can issue) into memory (and any other components)
- width defines addressable memory // RAM
an n-bit bus would give 2^n directly addressable memory cells
- n-bit bus has n wires
- issued by the processor (comes out of) and goes into everything
else
data bus -
correct answer ✅- bi-directional between everything but from
input and to output
- bigger data bus increases overall system performance
- an n-bit bus has n wires
- if the data bus is the same width as the word length, data can be
transferred to and from memory in a single operation (in one pass)
control bus -
correct answer ✅- controls the flow of data between the
processor and other parts of the computer
, CS THEORY PAPER 2 - 4.7
Fundamentals of computer
organisation and architecture Exam
Questions & Answers (Grade A+)
- bi-directional between everything
- sends control signals to the registers, the data and address buses
these include: memory read / memory write / bus request / bus
bus grant / bus busy / interrupt request / interrupt ACK / clock
signals / status / I/O write / I/O read
I/O controllers -
correct answer ✅- controls the flow of information between the
processor and the input and output devices.
- every device will have its own controller // will translate signals
from the device into the format required by the processor // allows
the peripheral to match the speed of the processor
von neuman architecture -
correct answer ✅- a technique for building a processor where data
and instructions are stored in the same memory and accessed via
buses serially
- linear fetch decode execute cycle, one instruction at a time
- uses the stored program concept
