Inside the Machine (Hardware & CPU Architecture)
This four-step sequence (Fetch, ____, Execute, Store) is the fundamental operating cycle of a computer.
What is the Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle?
This type of primary memory is volatile, meaning all of its stored data is completely lost when the computer is powered off.
What is RAM (Random Access Memory)?
This base-2 numeral system represents all computer data using only the digits 0 and 1.
What is Binary?
This fundamental logic gate outputs a 1 only if both of its inputs are 1.
What is an AND gate?
Providing menus, windows, icons, or a command line are all examples of how the OS provides this essential feature to humans.
What is a User Interface (UI)?
Unlike the CPU, which handles general processing, this specialized processor is designed specifically to accelerate the rendering of 2D and 3D graphics.
What is the GPU (Graphics Processing Unit)?
This technique reduces the file size of data so it takes up less storage space and can be transmitted faster over the internet.
What is Compression?
A single 0 or 1 in a computer system is known by this three-letter term.
What is a bit?
This logic gate takes a single input and simply outputs the exact opposite value (e.g., a 0 becomes a 1).
What is a NOT gate (or Inverter)?
This is a signal sent to the CPU by hardware or software indicating that an event needs immediate attention, causing the CPU to pause its current task.
What is an Interrupt?
This core component inside the CPU is responsible for carrying out all mathematical calculations and logical comparisons.
What is the ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit)?
This non-volatile primary memory contains the initial permanent instructions (like the BIOS/UEFI) required to boot up the computer.
What is ROM (Read-Only Memory)?
Exactly this many bits are grouped together to make up one standard byte.
What is Eight?
This mathematical grid is used in computer logic to map out all possible input combinations and their corresponding outputs.
What is a Truth Table?
First-Come-First-Served (FCFS) and Round Robin are examples of different approaches an OS uses for this process of assigning CPU time to different tasks.
What is Scheduling?
This internal CPU component directs the operation of the processor by sending timing and control signals to other parts of the system.
What is the Control Unit (CU)?
Solid State Drives (SSDs), magnetic hard drives, and USB flash drives are all examples of this broad category of long-term, non-volatile storage.
What is Secondary Storage (or Secondary Memory)?
ASCII and Unicode are standardized encoding systems used primarily to represent this specific type of data in a computer.
What is Text (or Characters)?
According to the fundamental identities of Boolean algebra, the expression A + A' (read as "A OR NOT A") will always evaluate to this specific binary value.
What is 1?
Instead of waiting for a device to signal the CPU, this alternative method involves the CPU constantly checking the status of a peripheral device to see if it needs attention.
What is Polling?
These are small, extremely fast memory storage locations located directly on the CPU chip, used to hold temporary data and instructions currently being processed.
What are Registers?
Infrastructure (IaaS), Platform (PaaS), and Software (SaaS) are the three primary service models of this type of computing.
What is Cloud Computing?
This specific type of lossless compression reduces file size by replacing long sequences of identical repeating data with a single value and a count of how many times it repeats.
What is Run-Length Encoding (RLE)?
Using the distributive and complement rules of Boolean algebra, the expression AB + AB' fully reduces to this single variable.
What is A?
In addition to managing the user interface and memory, the OS acts as a bridge between the software applications and this physical aspect of the computer system.
What is the Hardware?