Computer Architecture Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What happens to the Program Counter (PC) after a subtraction operation is executed?

It is incremented by 2

It remains unchanged

It is reset to zero

It is incremented by 1 (correct)

What does the first step in the fetch/execution cycle for the SUBTRACT instruction involve?

Storing the result in memory

Moving the Program Counter to the Memory Address Register (MAR) (correct)

Incrementing the MAR by one

Updating the Instruction Register

What is the purpose of the bus in a computer system?

To increase the speed of the CPU

To store data permanently

To transfer data between computer locations (correct)

To execute arithmetic operations

In the branch on condition instruction, what occurs if the condition is false?

The Program Counter is incremented by 1 Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a type of signal associated with the bus?

Power signal Signup and view all the answers

What does the throughput of a bus refer to?

The data transfer rate in bits per second Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a type of bus categorization?

Data width in bits Signup and view all the answers

In which type of bus configuration does data flow in only one direction?

Simplex Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes a multipoint bus?

Allows multiple points to be connected to one another Signup and view all the answers

What is a key feature of parallel buses compared to serial buses?

Higher complexity in wiring Signup and view all the answers

What is a disadvantage of parallel buses?

Limited length for data transmission Signup and view all the answers

Why might serial buses have higher throughput in certain applications?

They avoid electrical interference Signup and view all the answers

In which scenario are parallel buses primarily used?

For short distances such as CPU buses Signup and view all the answers

What application type is primarily associated with multipoint connections?

Broadcast networks like Ethernet Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes data movement instructions?

They typically transfer data between memory and registers Signup and view all the answers

What kind of instructions are used for manipulating bits within data?

Bit manipulation instructions Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes the LIFO method used in stack instructions?

Last In First Out Signup and view all the answers

Which instruction type allows a program to jump to a different part of the code?

Program control instructions Signup and view all the answers

What does SIMD stand for in the context of multiple data instructions?

Single Instruction, Multiple Data Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a component of an instruction format?

Type of logic operation Signup and view all the answers

What is the main purpose of the opcode in an instruction?

To indicate the type of operation to perform Signup and view all the answers

In machine architecture, what primarily differentiates computer architectures?

The complexity of operations and instruction set Signup and view all the answers

Negating a value is an example of which type of instruction?

Single operand manipulation instructions Signup and view all the answers

What do flags in bit manipulation instructions indicate?

Status of data processing conditions Signup and view all the answers

What distinguishes explicit addresses from implicit addresses in instruction?

Explicit addresses are included in the instruction itself. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of the fetch phase in the fetch-execute cycle?

To retrieve the instruction from memory Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes the result of the fetch operation?

The instruction is identified and prepared for execution Signup and view all the answers

In the context of von Neumann architecture, which of the following statements is true?

Data and instructions share the same memory space Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of registers in the fetch-execute cycle?

To hold temporary data and intermediate results Signup and view all the answers

Which addressing mode is utilized by the Little Man Computer (LMC)?

Direct Signup and view all the answers

What defines a volatile memory?

It requires power to maintain stored information Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is an example of nonvolatile memory?

ROM Signup and view all the answers

What is the instruction word size used in most current architectures?

32-bit or 64-bit Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Instruction Cycles

The fetch-execute cycle, in the Little Man Computer, is divided into two phases: fetch and execute.
The fetch phase is the same for every instruction because it involves retrieving the instruction from memory and placing it in the Instruction Register.
The fetch-execute cycle is the basic process by which a computer executes instructions.

Von Neumann Architecture

A von Neumann architecture is characterized by the following features:
- Single address space for both instructions and data: All instructions and data are stored in the same memory location.
- Sequential processing of instructions: Instructions are executed one after another in a linear fashion.
The execution of an addition operation in the Little Man Computer illustrates these criteria by demonstrating how an instruction and the data it operates on are both stored in the mailbox locations of the Little Man computer's model.
The instruction to add two numbers and the numbers themselves are stored in the memory before are fetched by the Little Man and processed.
The fetched instructions are also processed in a linear fashion- one after the other.

Memory Types

Volatile memory loses its data when the power is turned off. RAM is volatile.
Nonvolatile memory retains its data even when the power is turned off. ROM is nonvolatile.

Registers, Fetch-Execute, And The Little Man

Registers play an important role in the fetch-execute cycle by temporarily storing data that is being processed.
The fetch part of the fetch-execute cycle involves the following steps:
- Fetch: The Program Counter (PC) contains the address of the next instruction to be fetched.
- The PC is copied to the Memory Address Register (MAR).
- The Memory Data Register (MDR) receives the instruction based on the address stored in the MAR.
- The contents of MDR are transferred to the Instruction Register (IR).
The fetch operation prepares the instruction for execution by retrieving it from memory and placing it in the IR.
The Little Man retrieves instructions from his mailboxes and processes them in a similar way to a computer.
The Little Man represents the CPU, the mailboxes represent the memory, and the instructions are the information he retrieves from the mailboxes.

Bus

A bus is the physical connection for data transfer between different components of a computer system. This includes
- transfer of data between memory and the CPU
- transfer of data between the CPU and I/O devices
It is a group of electrical or optical conductors.
There are four kinds of signals:
- Data
- Addressing
- Control signals
- Power signals
Bus characteristics:
- The number of conductors determines how much data can be transferred simultaneously (data width).
- The Addressing capacity refers to the number of memory locations that can be accessed.
- Throughput is the rate at which data can be transferred.

Types of Buses

Parallel buses transfer all bits of a word simultaneously.
- They have high throughput but are expensive.
- Parallel buses are used in CPU buses and computer motherboards.
Serial buses transfer one bit at a time.
- They are less expensive and can be used over longer distances but have lower throughput.
- Serial buses are used for peripherals and networking.
Point-to-point buses connect single sources to single destinations.
- Example: Devices connected to a computer via cables.
Multipoint buses (also broadcast bus or multidrop bus) connect multiple points to one another.
- Example: Ethernet.

Instruction Classifications

Data Movement (load, store):
- Most common instructions.
- Involve memory and registers.
- This involves transferring data between memory and registers.
Arithmetic:
- Performs arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation.
Boolean Logic:
- Performs logical operations such as AND, OR, XOR, and NOT. This is used for decision-making and conditional execution of instructions.
Single Operand Manipulation instructions:
- Operate on a single operand, such as negating, decrementing, incrementing, or setting to 0. This kind of instruction changes the value of a single data item.
Bit manipulation instructions:
- Operate on individual bits within a word or byte.
- This can be used for efficiently controlling the individual bits of data.
Shift and rotate instructions:
- Shift or rotate the bits of a data word. This changes the bit pattern of data by shifting it to the left or right or rotating it cyclically.
Program control instructions:
- Control the flow of execution, such as jumps, branches, subroutines calls and returns. This allows for the execution to skip to a new instruction.
Stack instructions:
- Manage data on stack. Stack instructions enable the use of a stack data structure for managing temporary data, such as function arguments and local variables.
- Stack operations include push and pop.
Multiple data instructions:
- Perform a single operation on multiple pieces of data simultaneously.
- SIMD (Single Instruction, Multiple Data) is commonly used in multimedia, vector, and array processing applications.
Input/Output (I/O) and machine control instructions:
- Interact with the computer's hardware, such as I/O devices, timers, and interrupts. This allows for data interaction with external devices.

Instruction Format

The instruction format is defined in a template that specifies:
- Length of the op code (the part of the instruction that identifies the operation to be performed by the processor)
- Number of operands
- Length of operands
Instruction set:
- A set of instructions that a particular processor can execute.
- The instruction set defines the functions performed by the processor, differentiating it from other computer architectures.

Instruction Word Size

Fixed instruction word size allows for efficient pipelining.
Variable instruction word size is generally not used in modern architectures because it presents challenges for pipelining and performance.
Common word sizes include 32 and 64 bits.

Addressing Modes

Direct addressing: Mode used by the LMC
Register deferred addressing:
Immediate addressing:
Indirect addressing:
Indexed addressing:
Addressing modes tell the processor how to find the data that an instruction operates on.

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Description

Test your knowledge on instruction cycles and von Neumann architecture with this quiz. Explore concepts like the fetch-execute cycle and the characteristics of a computer's architecture. Perfect for students studying computer science.