Flashcards
CPU and Other important stuff
Cards in this deck (9)
- 1Software programs are sets of instructions. For a CPU to execute these instructions, each one must first be translated into machine code (simple binary codes that activate parts of the CPU).Performing mathematical operations like addition and subtraction, moving data from one memory location to another. making decisions and jumps to a new set of instructions based on those decisions
A piece of software, such as a game or web browser, combines these functions to perform more complex tasks. - 2The ALU carries out calculations and makes decisions on the data sent to the processor.The CU, which is also called the controller, controls data moving through the processor, and controls the timing of operations and the instructions sent to the processor and the peripheral devices. The CU directs the system to carry out program instructions. It does the fetching, decoding, and managing of instructions.
- 3Registers are also called internal memory or immediate access memory stores. A register is a small amount of fast temporary memory within the processor where the ALU or the CU can store and change values needed to execute instructions.Different processors have different sets of registers. One important register is the program counter. This keeps track of the running order of the instructions and shows which instruction in the program is due to be executed next.
- 4Programming languages like Java, C++, Ruby, BASIC or Python are known as high-level programming languages.High-level languages need to be translated into a binary code before the CPU can execute them. The benefit of high-level languages is that they are more like everyday written language than sequences of binary numbers, so people find them easier to write and understand.
- 5Human-readable language instructions are encoded in a language that humans can understand more easily. This includes high- and low-level languages. Low-level languages, such as assembly language, more closely reflect the mechanical workings of the CPU.Machine-readable language instructions are written using only the binary codes of the processor's instruction set.
- 6A piece of translator software, which is usually included within programming software, converts high-level languages into machine code. These translators are known as compilers and interpreters. Programs are translated using either a compiler or interpreter.A compiler translates a human-readable program directly into an executable, machine-readable form before the program can run.
- 7An interpreter translates a human-readable program into an executable, machine-readable form, instruction by instruction. It then executes each translated instruction before moving on to the next one. A program is translated every time it is run. Python is an example of an interpreted language.Dunno what to put here
- 8The opcode tells the processor the job that needs to be done. A simple operation might be 'add' or 'subtract'. If we use the analogy of a recipe, the opcode might be 'chop' or 'mix'. Each opcode instruction is very limited in what it can tell the processor to do. A CPU's instruction set contains the opcodes that it will accept.If we use the analogy of a recipe, an ingredient (eg an onion) is the thing being acted upon by the opcode. So the opcode 'chop' could act on the operand 'onion'. If the operand refers to a place in memory, this could be seen as the 'chopping board'. The operand (data) 'onion' could be in the memory location 'chopping board'. The instruction could be to chop the onion on the chopping board.
- 9Assembly language is a low-level language which closely reflects how opcodes and operands work. It is much quicker for computers to convert assembly instructions to machine code than to convert high-level source code to machine code.Assembly language instructions use abbreviations called mnemonics. An example of a mnemonic assembly language instruction is LDA 50 which stores the value 50 into a register of the CPU. Mnemonics are easier for humans to remember and understand than binary machine code instructions.
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- Flashcards on CPU and Other important stuff, created by Tom Probert on 29/01/2016.
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- Tom Probert
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