Name: Justus Languell

CORNELL NOTES
Class: CS Topic: Chapter 5 All
SHEET Date: 11/23/2020
Period G7
 QUESTIONS NOTES
What is a functional unit? A computer subsystem that can perform an individual task.
What is computer The branch of CS that studies computer in terms of their major functional
organization? units.
What is a level of abstraction? The level of complexity, going down to transistors and all the way up to
complex algorithms and natural language.
What is a hierarchy of The different levels of complexity in the abstraction.
abstraction?
What is the Von Neuman The design that almost all modern computers are based on. Contains 3 parts:
Architecture? The subsystems, the stored program, and sequential execution of instructions.
What are the 4 parts of Von Memory, Input/Output, A control unit (for following instructions), and an ALU
Neuman Architecture? (for doing computation). The control unit and ALU are grouped together in a
CPU, or central processing unit.
What are stored programs? Where instructions for the CPU are stored in memory.
What is sequential execution Where one instruction at a time is loaded and executed from memory.
of instruction?
What is memory? The functional unit of a computer that stores and retrieves instructions and
data.
What is random access (RAM) Memory used for quick access by the CPU. Is divided into cells with
memory? unique addresses. Data can be stored in these cells. The time it takes to fetch
data from these memory cells is uniform and equal across all cells.
What is read only memory? (ROM) RAM that was prerecorded during manufacturing. Cannot be modified
or removed, but only fetched and executed. Used for instruction registers,
BIOS, and boot instructions.
What is cell size, or memory The number of bits that can be stored in a cell or memory location.
width?
What is address space or The maximum amount of data that memory can store.
maximum memory space?
What is nondestructive fetch? Fetching the value in an address and returning the value. Could be function:
value = fetch(address) Or, like in C, a pointer:
char *p = (char *)0xff73000;
What is destructive store? Overwriting the value of a certain memory location, doesn’t return anything.
Could be function: store(address,value) Or, like in C, a pointer:
(char *)0xff73000 = 65;
What is memory access time? The time it takes to fetch a value from memory.
What is a nanosecond? One billionth of a second.
What is a memory address The register that holds the address of the memory cell to be accessed.
register?
What is a memory data The register that stores the data either from the address or to be written to the
register? address.
What is the principle of The fact that computers will usually access memory addresses close to the last
locality? address accessed.
What is cache memory? A copy of the contents of memory cells located near this item into the cache.
What is cache hit rate? The percent of time that the information needed to be accessed is in cache
memory.
What is input output? Input/output (I/O) units are devices that allow interface with the outside world.
What is volatile memory? Memory that erases when it loses power.
What is nonvolatile memory? Memory that does not erase when it loses power.
What is a mass storage A system that stores large amounts of data.
system?
What are the types of mass Direct access storage and sequential access storage.
storage systems?
What is seek time? The time needed to position the read/write head on the correct track on a disk
storage device.
What is latency? The time for the beginning of the desired sector to rotate under the read/write
head.
What is transfer time? The time for the entire sector to pass under the read/write head and have its
contents read or written.
What is an I/O controller? A special purpose computer that handles the details of input/output.
What is an interrupt signal? The signal sent to the CPU when an I/O operation is complete.
What is an Arithmetic/Logic An ALU is the subsystem that performs mathematical and logical operations
Unit like addition, subtraction, and comparisons.
What is the ALU grouped The control unit and ALU are grouped together in the Processor or Central
with in the processor? Processing Unit. (CPU)
Why is this group called a Because it handles all the operations of the computer.
processor?
What is the ALU made up of? Registers, interconnections, and ALU circuitry.
What is the data path? When these components are connected.
What is a register? A special high-speed storage cell that holds the operands of the ALU. Similar
to RAM.
What are the differences Registers don’t have memory addresses, but instead special register
between Registers and RAM? designators. They can also be addressed way quicker. They are also not used
for general purpose storage, but for temporary storage of data that operations
are being performed on.
What are examples of register A, X, or RO.
designators?
What is a stored program? The most fundamental part of the Von Neuman architecture. A sequence of
machine language instructions that are stored in binary values in memory.
What is a control unit? The device that follows the instructions and tells the computer what to do.
What does the control unit Fetches an instruction, decodes it, and executes it.
specifically do?
What is machine language? Instructions that can be decoded by the control unit.
What is an instruction set? The set of instructions that the computer can execute.
What is a RISC CPU? A CPU based on the RISC instruction set. (Reduced Instruction Set Computer).
What is a CISC CPU? A CPU based on the CISC instruction set. (Complex Instruction Set
Computer).
What are the 4 different Data transfer, arithmetic, compare, and branch.
classes of machine language
instruction?
What is data transfer? An operation that moves information between of within different components
in the computer.
What are things a data transfer Move from a memory cell to an ALU register.
instruction can do? Move from an ALU register to a memory cell.
Move from one memory cell to another.
Move from one ALU register to another.
What are examples of a data LOAD X Load the register R with the contents of memory cell X
transfer instruction? STORE X Store the contents of register R into memory cell X
MOVE X,Y Copy the contents of memory cell X into memory cell Y
What is an arithmetic Operations that cause the ALU to perform some type of computation.
operation? Typically, a mathematical operation like +, –, •, and ÷, as well as logical
operations like AND, OR, and NOT.
What are examples of ADD X,Y,Z Add the contents of X to the those of Y and store in Z
arithmetic operations? ADD X,Y Add the contents of X to those of Y and store in Y.
ADD X. Add the contents of X to those in R and store in R
What is a compare operation? An operation that compares the values of two numbers and outputs in special
registers.
What is an example of a COMPARE X,Y Compare the contents of memory cell X to the contents of
compare operation? memory cell Y and set the condition codes accordingly.
What is a branch operation? Operations that alter the normal flow of sequential flow in following
instructions.
What are examples of branch JUMP X Take the next instruction from memory cell X and execute it.
operations? HALT Stop the program execution.
What is a program counter? Holds the address of the next instruction.
What is an instruction Holds the instruction to be executed, copied from memory with the address of
register? the instruction register.
What are different phases in The fetch phase, decode phase, and the execute phase.
executing an instruction?
What is the fetch phase? The phase where the control unit gets the next instruction from memory and
moves it into the IR.
What is the decode phase? The control unit finds what instruction corresponds to the instruction code.
What is the execution phase? The control unit executes the instruction.
What is the Von Neuman The limit of sequential execution to solve todays large scale problems.
bottleneck?
What are non-Von Neuman Approaches besides Von Neuman architecture at organizing computers.
architectures?
What is parallel processing? Doing multiple processes at the same time to scale horizontally.
What is MIMD parallel Multiple instruction stream/ multiple data processors.
processing?
What is cluster computing? The implementation of MIMD parallel processing with multiple independent
computers working on individual tasks.
What is grid computing? Sharing massively parallel computing devices between users so they can
execute large computing workloads on them.
What is an interconnection A communication system that allows processors to exchange messages and
network? data.
What is a parallel algorithm? The study of algorithms that utilize parallel architecture.
What is system software? User friendly system that helps the user interface between the computer.
SUMMARY: Write 1 or 2 or more sentences describing specific learning from these notes.
In this section we talked about the individual components of the Von Neuman architecture and how they all
work together. We discuss machine code, and how the computer executes the instructions. We also discuss
parallel processing and problems with the Von Neuman architecture.