Computer Architecture and Processing Systems

What Computer Architecture and Processing Systems covers

Computer Architecture and Processing Systems is examined in Unit AS 2, Fundamentals of Digital Technology. It covers the processor, the clock and the registers, the fetch-execute cycle, buses, input and output controllers and ports, main memory: RAM, ROM and addressing, cache memory and the memory hierarchy, factors that affect processing speed, the need for secondary storage, magnetic, optical and flash storage media, choosing secondary storage for common applications, batch, real-time and transaction processing, automatic teller machines and point of sale terminals and Smartphones: input, output and processing.

The 12 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• The processor, the clock and the registersRole of the processor in a computer system, three main parts of a processor and job of the control unit.Open →
• The fetch-execute cycleFetch-execute cycle and execute stage of the cycle.Open →
• Buses, input and output controllers and portsBus in a computer system, three buses of a typical computer system and input/output controller.Open →
• Main memory: RAM, ROM and addressingTypically stored in ROM, memory address and word length of a processor.Open →
• Cache memory and the memory hierarchyCache memory, cache hit and cache miss.Open →
• Factors that affect processing speedClock speed, the number of cores, the width of the buses, the amount and speed of main memory, the size of the cache and the speed of secondary storage, and why no one figure decides performance.Open →
• The need for secondary storageSecondary storage, sequential access and direct access to stored data and access time of a storage device.Open →
• Magnetic, optical and flash storage mediaPhysical parts of a hard disk drive, tracks and sectors and seek time.Open →
• Choosing secondary storage for common applicationsMatching capacity, speed, portability, durability and cost to the job, and why an archive, a laptop, a camera and a server each call for a different medium.Open →
• Batch, real-time and transaction processingBatch processing, real-time processing and real-time control systems.Open →
• Automatic teller machines and point of sale terminalsInputs an automatic teller machine takes from a customer, outputs of a cash withdrawal at an automatic teller machine and processing a point of sale terminal performs during a sale.Open →
• Smartphones: input, output and processingFour sensors commonly built into a smartphone, components a smartphone uses to capture and to reproduce sound and haptic feedback.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Computer Architecture and Processing Systems further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Cache memory vs Main memory

  Cache memory: a small, very fast store of recently used items sitting alongside the processor. Main memory: the large working store the processor addresses over a bus.

• Interrupt vs Jump instruction

  Interrupt: a signal from outside the running program asking for urgent attention. Jump instruction: a step written into the program that sends it elsewhere.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is the role of the processor in a computer system?

   Model answer

   The processor fetches, decodes and executes the instructions of a program, and carries out the arithmetic and logic those instructions call for.

2. 2

   Name the three main parts of a processor.

   Model answer

   A processor contains the arithmetic logic unit, the control unit and a set of registers.

3. 3

   What does the arithmetic logic unit do?

   Model answer

   The arithmetic logic unit performs arithmetic such as addition and subtraction, logical comparisons such as AND, OR and NOT, and shifts of the bits in a value.

4. 4

   Describe the job of the control unit.

   Model answer

   The control unit decodes each instruction and sends timing and control signals to the other components so that the instruction is carried out in the right order.

5. 5

   What is a register?

   Model answer

   A register is a very small, very fast store inside the processor that holds a single item of data or a single address while an instruction is being carried out.

6. 6

   Why can a register be reached faster than a location in main memory?

   Model answer

   A register sits inside the processor itself, so its contents need no journey along a bus and are available within a single clock cycle.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Computer Architecture and Processing Systems revision questions

What does Computer Architecture and Processing Systems cover in CCEA A-Level Digital Technology?

12 subtopics: the processor, the clock and the registers, the fetch-execute cycle, buses, input and output controllers and ports, main memory: ram, rom and addressing, cache memory and the memory hierarchy, factors that affect processing speed, the need for secondary storage, magnetic, optical and flash storage media, choosing secondary storage for common applications, batch, real-time and transaction processing, automatic teller machines and point of sale terminals and smartphones: input, output and processing. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Computer Architecture and Processing Systems organised?

By the CCEA 2650 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.