Flashcards
Computer Systems and Devices
Cards in this deck (26)
- 1Define a "Computer System"A computer system requires an input, process and output. It is also a collection of hardware and software that work together
- 2State The Purpose Of RAM1)Used to store program instruction and data that are currently being used by the processor.
2)It is also called main memory.
3)It is volatile which means all data is lost within it when there is no power. - 3State The Purpose Of ROM1)Is non-volatile memory that retains data even when the power is switched off.
2)ROM hold the BIOS which includes the bootstrap
loader, this is the program which holds the
instructions to start up the computer and load the operating system. - 4What is memory?Memory in a computer system refers to the components that store data and instructions/
- 5What is cache memory?Is high speed memory found in the cpu that is used to store frequently used instructions.
It is used to improve CPU performance because it has a faster access speed than main memory (RAM) - 6What is the purpose of the CPU?The CPU is a piece of hardware that is responsible for processing data by executing instructions. It is attached to the motherboard and is usually covered by a heat sink to keep it cool
- 7What is the control unit?The CU directs the operations of the processor. Tells computer memory logic unit and input and output devices how to respond to instructions that have been sent to the processor.
- 8What does dual and quad core mean?Dual core is 2 processors working at the same time on different instructions and quad core are 4 processors working at the same time on different instructions
- 9How does having more than one core improve a processors performanceCan work on more instructions at a time
- 10Why is the CPU needed?Responsible for processing data by executing instructions
- 11Why are input devices needed?Because they send data and control signals to the computer
- 12Why are output devices needed?To communicate the results of processed data
- 13What is clock speed? What is it measured in?Clock Speed: The higher number of pulses per second, the faster the computer processor will be able to process instructions. The clock speed information is measured in Hz/Mgz/GHz
- 14What is the Arithmetic and Logic Unit?ALU: a digital circuit to perform arithmetic/logic operations. It represents foundation building block of the CPU.
- 15Define the fetch execute cycleFetch: Instructions to be fetched from the RAM
Decode: The instruction is decoded to find out what needs to be done
Execute: Finally the instruction is executed - 16Why is secondary storage needed in a computer?Stores large amounts of data and programs that are running on a CPU or being stored in main memory
- 17What 2 parts is a computer system made up of?Hardware and Software
- 18Hardware is a generic term for what?For any physical part which you can physically touch, pick up or move
- 19What is software?Software are the applications & programs that run on a computer
- 20What is and embedded system?An embedded system is a programmed controlling and operating system with a dedicated function within a larger mechanical or electrical system, often with real time computer restraints.
- 21What is the difference between an embedded system and dedicated systemA dedicated system is a computer system capable of performing 1 specific task an embedded system is a computer system within a larger system that performs a specific task
- 22What is memory in a computer system?Memory in a computer system refers to the components that stored data and instructions
- 23What is the benefit of increasing clock speed?If you increase clock speed it means there will be a higher number of pulses a second. The faster the computer processor will be able to process the information. The clock speed is measured in Hz/MHz/GHz/.
Increasing the clock speed will also mean the more fetch decode execute a second - 24What is the benefit of increasing the number of cores?Increasing the number of cores will mean that there will be more processors that work at the same time on different instructions. This makes the CPU work fast work faster and carry out more tasks simultaneously
- 25What is the benefit of changing from a magnetic hard drive to a solid state drive?If changed to a solid state drive its read write time will be faster. This will make it so data can be accessed faster
- 26What is the benefit of increasing RAM?Increasing RAM avoids/reduces computer slowdowns. This means more programs can run at one time
Information
- Description
- Flashcards on Computer Systems and Devices, created by Xavier Mirza on 19/09/2018.
- Created by
- Xavier Mirza
- Views
- 1
- Rating