Core Concepts
These are the tangible elements you can touch, like screens, keyboards, and internal circuits.
What is hardware?
This part handles comparisons and calculations, such as checking if numbers are equal or adding them.
What is the ALU?
This type of storage keeps things active only while the device is powered on, helping the system run quickly.
What is the role of RAM in a computer system?
These are the three main stages to the machine instruction cycle.
What are fetch, decode, and execute?
This type of storage refers to devices that retain data even when the power is off.
What is persistent (secondary) storage?
These are the digital instructions that guide how the machine operates, including programs and operating systems.
What is software?
This section oversees the sequence of operations, deciding what to do next and how to do it.
What does the Control Unit (CU) do in the CPU?
This non-editable storage keeps important instructions that help the system boot even when power is off.
What is ROM used for in a computer system?
The CPU retrieves the next instruction’s address from the Program Counter, sends it via the MAR to memory, and brings back the instruction via the MDR.
What are the basic steps in the fetch stage in the machine instruction cycle.
Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid-State Drive (SSD), USB Flash Drive.
Can you name a couple of examples of persistent (secondary) storage.
These devices are not part of the core unit but work with it to provide input, output, or additional functionality.
What are peripheral devices?
This register temporarily stores a location from memory that the system needs to interact with.
What does the Memory Address Register (MAR) do?
One of these means to loses its contents without power, while the other means retains information at all times.
What is the difference between volatile and non-volatile?
The Control Unit interprets the instruction stored in the MDR and prepares the necessary signals to execute it.
What happens during the decode stage?
This is a mode of computer data storage in which digital data is stored on servers in off-site locations.
What is cloud storage?
This is a setup where multiple machines can share resources like files, internet access, or printers.
What is a computer network?
This unit acts like a messenger, carrying the contents that are either arriving from memory or being sent to it.
Explain the purpose of the Memory Data Register (MDR).
This special buffer reduces delays by storing recently or frequently accessed information near the processing core.
How is cache used in a computer system?
This carries memory addresses from the CPU (usually MAR) to the main memory, specifying where to read or write data.
What is the role of the address bus in the machine instruction cycle.
These have no moving parts or no mechanical components, while the other's retrieval of data depends on spinning disks and moving read/write heads.
What is the main reason why SSDs are faster than HDDs?
These are the individuals who manage, operate, and support digital systems, from developers to technicians and system administrators.
Who are the human resources of a computer system.
One of these CPU architectures separates data and instructions into different memory spaces, while the other stores both in the same memory.
What is one main difference between the Harvard and Von-Neumann CPU architecture?
By storing frequently used data closer to the CPU, it reduces the time the processor waits to get data from main storage.
How does cache memory improve CPU performance?
It transmits control signals that govern the transfer of data between the CPU and other components such as memory or I/O devices.
What is the role of the control bus?
It is important because it is used to store programs / files / data in a non-volatile device so data is not lost and it is able to store more data as it has a larger capacity.
What is the main purpose of persistent storage in computer systems?