Review Guide
1. Describe the significance of a physical address in the context of memory
management.
A physical address is used to identify the type of data being
processed.
A physical address indicates where data is stored in RAM, allowing
the CPU to access it directly.
A physical address is the same as a virtual address in memory
management.
A physical address represents the logical structure of a program's
memory.
2. What is the main purpose of parallelization in computing?
To increase the size of the program.
To simplify the program's code.
To run separate components of a program simultaneously.
To reduce the number of computers in a cluster.
3. What is the function of transistors inside the processor?
To act as electrical switches for data and instructions
To perform arithmetic operations
To execute machine language instructions
To store data temporarily
,4. Which one quantifies the overall performance improvement of a system
when a subset of the system is improved?
Moore's Law
The CPU time equation
None of the other answers is correct
Flynn's MIMD category
Amdahl's Law
5. Describe the significance of generalized forwarding in the IBM 360/91
architecture.
Generalized forwarding is a method for static memory allocation.
Generalized forwarding allows for the efficient handling of data
dependencies between instructions.
Generalized forwarding improves branch prediction accuracy.
Generalized forwarding is used to increase cache size.
6. Describe the role of pages in the context of virtual memory systems.
Pages are variable-size blocks that store data permanently.
Pages are used to increase the speed of data transfer between
devices.
Pages are fixed-size blocks that facilitate efficient memory
allocation and access in virtual memory systems.
Pages are components of the CPU that execute instructions.
7. What is the typical size of a LEGv8 word in bits?
8 bits
, 32 bits
16 bits
64 bits
8. Describe the process of how a virtual address is utilized in memory access.
A virtual address directly accesses the physical memory without
translation.
A virtual address is stored in the CPU registers for quick access.
A virtual address is used to identify the CPU's processing speed.
A virtual address is translated to a physical address when memory is
accessed.
9. What does superscalar architecture enable in a CPU?
Issuing multiple instructions simultaneously
Executing instructions sequentially
Reducing the number of functional units
Increasing memory latency
10. Describe the main characteristics of a magnetic disk and its role in a
computer system.
A magnetic disk is an optical storage device that uses lasers to read
and write data.
A magnetic disk is a type of cache memory that provides quick access
to frequently used data.
A magnetic disk is a volatile primary memory that uses flash
technology for fast access.
, A magnetic disk is a nonvolatile secondary memory with rotating
platters and access times of 5 to 20 milliseconds.
11. What is the difference between DRAM and SRAM in terms of application?
SRAMs generally have faster access times than DRAM, DRAMs are
less expensive than SRAM
SRAM is used for cache memory (both on chip and off chip), DRAM
is used for main memory
DRAM is used for cache memory (both on chip and off chip), SRAM is
used for main memory
Both static and dynamic RAMs are volatile
12. Describe the main characteristic of SISD in terms of instruction and data
processing.
SISD is designed for parallel processing of instructions.
SISD can handle multiple data streams simultaneously.
SISD processes multiple instructions on multiple data streams.
SISD processes a single instruction on a single data stream.
13. If a program requires accessing data in 8-byte chunks, which data type
should be used to optimize memory access in a LEGv8 architecture?
Word
Quadword
Byte
Doubleword