Computer Organization and Architecture Final Examination Marking Scheme

These flashcards cover key concepts and terminology from the lecture on computer organization and architecture, which will be helpful for exam preparation.

What is the Von Neumann architecture?

A design where program instructions and data share the same memory and pathways.

What are the two performance measures of computer systems?

Throughput (operations per unit time) and Latency (time for a single operation).

What is the difference between computer organization and architecture?

Computer organization deals with how hardware components are interconnected and operate, while architecture focuses on the conceptual design and functional behavior.

What are the main functions of CPU, Memory, and I/O Devices?

CPU processes instructions and performs calculations; Memory stores data and programs; I/O Devices handle input from users and output to displays/printers.

What are the advantages of Programmed I/O and Interrupt-driven I/O?

Programmed I/O: Simple implementation; Interrupt-driven I/O: CPU can perform other tasks meanwhile.

How do you convert the decimal number 255 to binary?

Divide 255 by 2 repeatedly, recording remainders: 11111111.

How do you convert the decimal number 255 to hexadecimal?

Divide by 16: FF.

What is the purpose of Direct Memory Access (DMA)?

Allows peripherals to access memory directly without CPU intervention, reducing CPU overhead and improving data transfer speed.

What is the result of the binary addition 1011 + 1101?

11000 (which is decimal 24).

What is the function of buses in computer systems?

They transfer data, addresses, and control signals between components, enabling coordinated operations and resource sharing.

What is the role of registers and cache in computer memory?

Registers are the fastest storage for immediate CPU data; Cache provides quick access to frequently used data from main memory.

What happens during a cache hit and a cache miss?

On a cache hit, data is accessed quickly; on a cache miss, data is fetched from main memory and stored in cache.

What are the types and characteristics of different cache levels (L1, L2)?

L1 cache: Small, fast, on-chip per core; L2: Larger, shared, off-chip or on-chip; with various inclusion/exclusion policies and replacement algorithms like LRU.

What are prefetching and interleaving?

Prefetching anticipates and loads data early to reduce latency; Interleaving spreads data across modules for parallel access, increasing bandwidth.

What are the functions of the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)?

Performs arithmetic (add/subtract) and logical (AND/OR) operations on data from registers.

What are the stages of instruction processing?

Fetch (retrieve instruction), Decode (interpret instruction), Execute (perform operation), Store (write results back).

What are the differences between RISC and CISC architectures?

RISC has simple instructions for faster execution per cycle; CISC has complex instructions, potentially fewer but slower per instruction.

What is instruction pipelining?

Overlapping instruction stages (fetch, decode, execute) to increase throughput and reduce idle time.

What are SIMD and MIMD?

SIMD processes multiple data with a single instruction; MIMD executes multiple instructions on multiple data.

What are the benefits and drawbacks of shared and distributed memory architectures?

Shared memory is easier to program but has contention issues; distributed memory is scalable but has complex communication.

What is throughput in computer systems?

It measures work done per time; high throughput indicates efficient resource utilization under load.