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4 - Computer Organization and Architecture

viva

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29 views5 pages

4 - Computer Organization and Architecture

viva

Uploaded by

alananto2024
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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1.Question: What are the functional units of a computer system?

Answer: The functional units include the CPU, memory, and I/O devices.

2.Question: Describe the basic operational concepts of computers.


Answer: Basic operational concepts include fetching instructions, decoding them, executing
operations, and storing results.

3.Question: What is the purpose of bus structures in a computer system?


Answer: Bus structures facilitate communication between different components of a computer system
by providing pathways for data and control signals.

4.Question: How are memory locations and addresses related?


Answer: Memory locations are physical locations where data is stored, and addresses are unique
identifiers for accessing these locations.

5.Question: Explain memory operations in a computer system.


Answer: Memory operations involve reading data from or writing data to memory locations.

6.Question: What are addressing modes in computer architecture?


Answer: Addressing modes determine how operands are specified in instructions, such as direct,
indirect, or indexed addressing.

7.Question: What is the instruction cycle?


Answer: The instruction cycle consists of fetching, decoding, executing, and storing (or writing back)
phases of instruction execution.

8.Question: Differentiate between single bus and multiple bus organization.


Answer: Single bus organization uses a single bus for data and control signals, while multiple bus
organization employs separate buses for different types of signals, enhancing performance.

9.Question: What is register transfer logic?


Answer: Register transfer logic involves the transfer of data between registers within the CPU using
microoperations like arithmetic, logic, and shift operations.
10.Question: Explain the concept of inter-register transfer.
Answer: Inter-register transfer involves moving data between different registers within the CPU.

11.Question: What components constitute the processor organization?


Answer: The processor organization includes the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), registers, control unit,
and accumulator.

12.Question: How does the ALU facilitate arithmetic operations?


Answer: The ALU performs arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division on operands provided by the registers.

13.Question: Describe the design of the arithmetic circuit within a processor.


Answer: The arithmetic circuit consists of combinational logic to perform arithmetic operations and
generate results.

14.Question: What is the purpose of the status register in a processor?


Answer: The status register holds flags indicating the outcome of arithmetic and logic operations,
such as overflow or zero results.

15.Question: Explain the design of a shifter in a processor unit.


Answer: The shifter performs logical or arithmetic shifts on binary data, shifting bits left or right
based on the specified operation.

16.Question: What is the significance of the accumulator in processor design?


Answer: The accumulator is a special-purpose register used to store intermediate results during
arithmetic and logic operations.

17.Question: Describe algorithms for multiplication and division of binary numbers.


Answer: Multiplication algorithms include basic methods like array multiplier and advanced
techniques like Booth's multiplication algorithm. Division algorithms may use restoring method.

18.Question: How does pipelining improve processor performance?


Answer: Pipelining allows multiple instructions to be executed simultaneously by breaking down the
instruction execution into stages, thereby increasing throughput.
19.Question: Explain the classification of pipeline processors.
Answer: Pipeline processors can be classified based on the number of pipeline stages and the type of
operations performed in each stage.

20.Question: What are hazards in pipelining, and how are they resolved?
Answer: Hazards are situations where the correct execution of instructions is hindered. They are
resolved using techniques like forwarding, stalling, or reordering instructions.

21.Question: What is control logic design?


Answer: Control logic design involves determining how instructions are executed by coordinating the
operations of various CPU components.

22.Question: Compare hardwired control and microprogram control.


Answer: Hardwired control uses dedicated combinational logic circuits for instruction execution,
while microprogram control employs microinstructions stored in control memory.

23.Question: What is a microprogram sequencer?


Answer: A microprogram sequencer generates control signals based on the microinstruction sequence
stored in the control memory.

24.Question: Differentiate between horizontal and vertical microinstructions.


Answer: Horizontal microinstructions encode control signals directly, while vertical microinstructions
specify microoperations to be performed in each cycle.

25.Question: How does I/O organization facilitate communication with external devices?
Answer: I/O organization provides mechanisms for the CPU to communicate with input and output
devices, including interrupts and direct memory access (DMA).

26.Question: What is interrupt handling in computer systems?


Answer: Interrupts are signals generated by external devices to request attention from the CPU.
Interrupt handling involves suspending the current execution to service the interrupt.

27.Question: Explain the concept of interrupt hardware.


Answer: Interrupt hardware includes circuitry that detects and prioritizes interrupts and manages the
transfer of control to interrupt service routines.
28.Question: How does direct memory access (DMA) improve I/O performance?
Answer: DMA allows input and output devices to transfer data directly to and from memory without
CPU intervention, reducing overhead and improving overall system performance.

29.Question: Define the instruction cycle and its phases.


Answer: The instruction cycle consists of four phases: fetch, decode, execute, and store. During fetch,
the CPU retrieves the instruction from memory. In decode, the instruction is interpreted. Execution
involves carrying out the instruction, and in store, the result may be written back to memory.

30.Question: Explain the purpose of addressing modes in computer architecture.


Answer: Addressing modes specify how operands are accessed in instructions. They define different
ways of specifying the location of data or operands, such as direct, indirect, or indexed addressing.

31.Question: How does pipelining improve processor performance, and what are its potential
drawbacks?
Answer: Pipelining allows multiple instructions to be executed concurrently, increasing throughput.
However, it introduces pipeline hazards such as data hazards and control hazards, which must be
addressed to maintain correct execution.

33.Question: Describe the difference between hardwired control and microprogrammed control.
Answer: Hardwired control uses dedicated combinational logic circuits to generate control signals
based on the current instruction, while microprogrammed control stores control sequences as
microinstructions in a control memory, providing more flexibility at the cost of additional complexity.

34.Question: How does direct memory access (DMA) work, and what are its advantages?
Answer: DMA allows peripheral devices to transfer data directly to and from memory without CPU
intervention, reducing the overhead associated with I/O operations and improving system
performance.

35.Question: What is the role of the accumulator in a processor, and how is it used in instruction
execution?
Answer: The accumulator is a special-purpose register that holds intermediate results during
arithmetic and logic operations. It is commonly used as a temporary storage location for operands and
results during instruction execution.

36. Question: What are the fundamental concepts of memory systems in computer architecture?
Answer: Memory systems in computer architecture encompass various types of memory units such as
RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read-Only Memory), and cache memories. These memory
units store data and instructions for the CPU to access during program execution.

37.Question: Can you explain semiconductor RAMs and their significance in computer memory
systems?
Answer: Semiconductor RAMs, such as DRAM (Dynamic RAM) and SRAM (Static RAM), are
primary memory devices used for temporary data storage in computers. They offer fast access times
and are volatile, meaning they lose their contents when power is removed.

38.Question: What are the considerations involved in designing memory systems?


Answer: Memory system considerations include factors like speed, cost, reliability, and capacity.
Designers must balance these factors to create an efficient memory hierarchy that meets the
performance requirements of the system within budget constraints.

39.Question: Describe the role of ROMs in computer memory systems.


Answer: ROMs (Read-Only Memory) store permanent or semi-permanent data and instructions that
are essential for system boot-up and initialization. Unlike RAM, ROM contents are non-volatile and
cannot be modified by the CPU during normal operation.

40.Question: Explain the concept of cache memories and their importance in computer architecture.
Answer: Cache memories are small, high-speed memory units located between the CPU and main
memory. They store frequently accessed data and instructions to reduce the average memory access
time and improve system performance by exploiting the principle of locality. Cache memories utilize
mapping functions to determine how data is stored and retrieved efficiently.

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