Computer Architecture Overview

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary function of the input unit in a computer?

To accept coded information (correct)

To coordinate between different computer parts

To store data permanently

To display processed results to the user

Which device is used as a graphic input device?

Joystick (correct)

Microphone

Printer

Monitor

What is an example of hard copy output?

A video displayed on a screen

An audio file played through speakers

A printed report (correct)

Data stored in cloud storage

Which of the following is NOT a function of the control unit?

Translating data into binary code Signup and view all the answers

What type of output is considered non-permanent?

Text displayed on a computer screen Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following devices would serve dual functions of input and output?

Graphic display Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following types of output includes multimedia?

Combination of text and graphics Signup and view all the answers

Microphones are primarily used in computers to capture which type of input?

Audio Signup and view all the answers

What is the main characteristic of direct addressing mode?

Uses an address field that directly refers to the operand's address Signup and view all the answers

What does indirect addressing mode involve?

Finding the operand's address by using the contents of a memory location Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an advantage of register addressing?

Allows for faster execution with no memory fetch Signup and view all the answers

What is a disadvantage of indirect addressing mode?

It requires multiple memory accesses to find the operand Signup and view all the answers

Which type of addressing allows for nested or cascaded operations?

Indirect Addressing Signup and view all the answers

What is a key feature of register addressing compared to direct addressing?

Has a very small address field Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of direct addressing mode?

Requires multilevel addressing Signup and view all the answers

What does the notation 'EA = (A)' indicate in indirect addressing?

The effective address is found in the address of A Signup and view all the answers

What does the instruction 'beq' do in MIPS architecture?

Branch to a label if two registers are equal Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of the instruction 'j' in MIPS?

Unconditionally jump to a specified address Signup and view all the answers

Which operand types are used in MIPS instructions?

Register, Memory, Immediate Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of data transfer instructions in MIPS?

Transfer data between memory and registers Signup and view all the answers

How does the 'skip' instruction operate unconditionally?

It increments the instruction counter to skip the next instruction Signup and view all the answers

In the context of conditional instructions, what happens if the condition is not met?

Execution continues with the subsequent instruction Signup and view all the answers

Which statement regarding MIPS branch instructions is true?

They can only branch if a comparison is true Signup and view all the answers

What is true about the operands used in arithmetic instructions in MIPS?

They must come from a predefined set of registers Signup and view all the answers

What does the 'shamt' field in a MIPS instruction specify?

The number of positions to shift Signup and view all the answers

When performing a shift left logical (sll) operation by 2 bits on the binary number 0000 1001, what is the resulting value?

0010 0100 Signup and view all the answers

Which registers in MIPS assembly language correspond to registers $s0 to $s7?

16 to 23 Signup and view all the answers

What does pseudodirect addressing utilize for the jump address?

The 26 bits of the instruction concatenated with the upper bits of the PC Signup and view all the answers

Which addressing mode involves using the upper bits of the Program Counter along with instruction bits?

Pseudo Direct Addressing Mode Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of performing a shift right logical (srl) operation by 3 bits on the binary number 0001 1000?

0000 00011 Signup and view all the answers

In MIPS, what does the instruction 'bne register1, register2, L1' do?

Go to label L1 if register1 does not equal register2 Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes RISC architecture?

RISC focuses on a simplified instruction set to reduce cycles per instruction. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of CISC architecture?

To allow a single instruction to perform multiple tasks Signup and view all the answers

What operation does the NOT instruction perform on a binary number?

Inverts all the bits Signup and view all the answers

Performing an AND operation on 1110 and 1010 results in what binary value?

1100 Signup and view all the answers

How do RISC and CISC architectures differ in their approach to performance?

RISC minimizes cycles per instruction; CISC minimizes the number of instructions per program. Signup and view all the answers

What happens during a shift left logical operation?

Bits are shifted to the left and filled with 0s Signup and view all the answers

What limitation led to the evolution of CISC architecture?

The tedious and error-prone nature of assembly language programming Signup and view all the answers

Which addressing mode specifically refers to how the instruction and PC relate?

PC Relative Addressing Mode Signup and view all the answers

When shifting the binary value 0000 1001 left by 4 positions, what is the final value obtained?

1001 0000 Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements best describes how RISC handles instruction complexity?

It uses a uniform, simplified set of instructions. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements about logical operations in MIPS is true?

OR operation can produce a result that increases the number of 1s Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Control Unit

Coordinates all actions of the computer

Input Unit

Receives coded information from various sources
Keyboard translates key presses into binary code
Touchpad, mouse, joystick, trackball, and other graphic input devices are used with displays
Microphones capture audio
Cameras capture video
Digital communication facilities like the Internet provide input from other computers and servers

Output Unit

Sends processed results to the user
Examples include printers
Graphic displays can provide both output (showing text and graphics) and input

Types of Output

Hard copy: Printed on paper or other permanent media
Soft copy: Displayed on a screen or using other non-permanent methods

Multimedia

Combines text, graphics, audio, and video

Branch Instructions

beq (branch if equal):
- Format: beq $s1, $s2, label
- Branches to the address specified by the label if the value in register $s1 equals the value in register $s2
j (jump unconditional):
- Format: j label
- Unconditionally jumps to the address specified by the label

Conditional Branch Instruction

Allows altering the program flow based on a condition

Unconditional Branch Instruction

Always executes the branch

Branch/Jump Instruction

A key instruction for program control

Operands

Values used in arithmetic and logical operations

Types of Operands

Register operands: Located in special hardware components called registers
Memory operands: Access data stored in memory
Constant or immediate operands: Fixed values directly included in instructions

Register Operands

Restricted to a limited number of registers
Instructions involving arithmetic operations act only on registers

Memory Operands

Data transfer instructions move data between memory and registers
ADD A: Adds the contents of the memory cell at address A to the accumulator

Indirect Addressing

The effective address of the operand is the contents of the memory location whose address is in the instruction
ADD (A): Looks in the memory location A to find the address of the operand and then adds that operand to the accumulator
ADD (A), R0: Same as above, but the result is stored in register R0

Register Addressing

The operand is the content of the register specified in the instruction
Example: Add R1, R2: Adds the content of register R1 to register R2
Advantages:
- Shorter instructions
- Faster instruction fetch
- Very fast execution due to no memory access
Disadvantages:
- Very limited address space

MIPS Assembly Language

Uses specific registers for different purposes
$s0 to $s7 map to registers 16 to 23
$t0 to $t7 map to registers 8 to 15

Logical Operations

Work on individual bits in the operands
Include AND, OR, NOT, and XOR

Shift Operations

Used to move bits within a register
shamt (shift amount) specifies the number of positions to shift
Shift left logical (sll): Shifts bits to the left, filling with 0s; multiplying by 2 to the power of the shift amount
Shift right logical (srl): Shifts bits to the right, filling with 0s; dividing by 2 to the power of the shift amount

AND Operations

Returns a 1 if both input bits are 1, and a 0 otherwise

OR Operations

Returns a 1 if at least one input bit is 1, and a 0 otherwise

NOT Operations

Inverts the bits of an operand; changes 0s to 1s and 1s to 0s

Instructions for Making Decisions

Used to control program flow based on conditions
beq register1, register2, L1: Branch to label L1 if the values in register1 and register2 are equal
bne register1, register2, L1: Branch to label L1 if the values in register1 and register2 are not equal

Pseudodirect Addressing

Used in jump instructions, where the jump address is formed by concatenating the upper bits of the program counter (PC) with the 26 bits of the instruction

Addressing Modes

Different ways the CPU calculates the address of an operand
Immediate Addressing Mode: The operand is directly specified as part of the instruction
Register Addressing Mode: The address of the operand is stored in a register
Base or Displacement Addressing Mode: The address of the operand is calculated by adding a displacement value to the contents of a register
PC Relative Addressing Mode: The address of the operand is calculated relative to the program counter (PC)
Pseudodirect Addressing Mode: The jump address is formed by concatenating the upper bits of the program counter (PC) with the 26 bits of the instruction

RISC (Reduced Set Instruction Set Architecture)

Emphasizes simplicity of hardware and uses a limited set of basic instructions
Aims to reduce the cycles per instruction, even if it means more instructions per program.

CISC (Complex Instruction Set Architecture)

Allows more complex and powerful instructions, but can lead to increased cycles per instruction

Performance

Both RISC and CISC aim to improve CPU performance
RISC focuses on reducing cycles per instruction, sacrificing instructions per program
CISC focuses on reducing instructions per program, sacrificing cycles per instruction
The rise of high-level programming languages has favored RISC architecture, as it simplifies instruction set design

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Description

This quiz explores the fundamental components of computer architecture, including the control, input, and output units. You'll learn about the various input devices and types of output, along with multimedia fundamentals and branch instructions in programming. Test your knowledge on how these elements work together in a computer system.