C952 Computer Architecture - Set 2 - Part 1

Correct Answer: CPU

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) executes instructions and performs calculations, acting as the “brain” of the computer.

Correct Answer: Cloud computing

Cloud computing involves scalable collections of servers providing resources over the internet, rented dynamically to adjust for demand.

Correct Answer: 1,000,000,000,000 bytes

While historically used to represent 240 bytes, a terabyte today is commonly defined as 1 trillion (1012) bytes in storage systems.

Correct Answer: Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)

DRAM provides random access to data and is commonly used as main memory in computers.

Correct Answer: Page fault

A page fault happens when the requested data is not present in main memory, requiring a fetch from secondary storage.

Correct Answer: Branch prediction

Branch prediction assumes an outcome for a conditional branch and allows the pipeline to proceed, reducing delays due to branch hazards.

Correct Answer: To convert high-level code to machine code

A compiler translates code from high-level languages (like C++ or Java) into machine code for execution by the CPU.

Correct Answer: XOR

XOR outputs a 1 when the inputs differ and a 0 when they are the same, making it useful for condition checks.

Correct Answer: ALU

The Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) performs arithmetic and logical operations, such as addition, subtraction, and logical comparisons.

Correct Answer: DRAM

DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory) is volatile, meaning it requires power to retain data, often used as primary memory.

Correct Answer: PC-relative addressing

PC-relative addressing calculates an address by adding a constant offset to the current value in the Program Counter.

Correct Answer: Underflow

Underflow occurs when a floating-point value has an exponent too small for the system to represent within its format.

Correct Answer: Protected

The protected keyword restricts a method's accessibility to classes within the same package or subclasses.

Correct Answer: Block

In cache hierarchies, a block (or line) is the smallest unit of data that can be present or absent from the cache.

Correct Answer: Pipelining

Pipelining breaks down instruction execution into stages, allowing multiple instructions to be processed simultaneously.

Correct Answer: Polling

Polling repeatedly checks the device status to determine if it needs attention, an alternative to interrupt-driven I/O.

Correct Answer: Processor utilization

Multithreading allows switching between threads when one is stalled, increasing overall processor utilization.

Correct Answer: Set-associative cache

Set-associative caches allow a block of main memory to map to multiple cache locations, lowering conflict rates.

Correct Answer: Uniform Memory Access (UMA)

UMA provides the same access latency across processors, enabling balanced memory access in multi-processor systems.

Correct Answer: Indicates whether data in a block is valid

The valid bit indicates whether the data in a cache block is up-to-date and valid for use, essential for cache management.