Components Quiz

what is sampling?

the process of converting analog to digital

what is digital? binary? decimal?

binary is the language computers use to process data including only 1s and 0s. digital is information in a format that can be processed by computers. decimal is the base 10 number system.

what does it mean for storage to be volatile

storage that has a property of losing its data when a computer loses power

which components in the computer are volatile?

main memory, cpu instruction/data registers, cache

what is the purpose of the ROM?

a component of a computer containing permanent instructions for starting the system.

what is the purpose of the cache

to store important pieces of data the computer frequently accesses.

compare and contrast main memory and hard drive

the hard drive is the main storage and is non-volatile for long term storage. main memory is volatile storage that is easily accessible to the cpu storing temporary files, apps, and data.

what is the purpose of the system clock?

it provides synchronization to get the slower components to keep up and faster components to wait for the next tick

what is the purpose of the alu?

the arithmetic logic unit carries out operations from the data registers inside the cpu

what is the purpose of the instruction register? data registers?

the instruction register holds arithmetic and logic instructions for the alu, data registers store data.

why would a computer need expansion cards?

to take load off the cpu by having their own processing and storage components that are specialized for jobs like audio/video processing or networking.

what is the purpose of a port?

a connection point in the case of a computer that allows an outside device to communicate

what is the purpose of a bus?

to connect all components to a single cable

what is a memory address?

a numerical identifier locating where a piece of data is stored in RAM

what is the purpose of the program counter

to keep track of what instruction the CPU should execute

how is data stored in a computer? (format)

binary

put the following types of storage in order by size, smallest ot largest: registers, main memory, cache, hard drive

registers, cache, main memory, hard drive

sampling makes computer input:

possible for analog information

what is a memory address?

a number assigned to each pattern in main memory to help keep track of where things are stored

what is the purpose of the program counter?

to keep track of which line of a program the CPU is currently on

put the following types of storage in order by speed, fastest to slowest: registers, cache, main memory, hard drive

registers, cache, main memory, hard drive