Thursday 23 October 2014

Purpose and Function of the CPU - quiz






Purpose and function of the CPU


heatsink
1 (a) In a computer, what covers the microprocessor?
The Heat Sink

(b) Why is this needed?
To stop the microprocessor from overheating and becoming damaged

2. The microprocessor contains integrated circuits that make up the CPU.
(a) What do the initials CPU stand for?
Central Processing Unit
 
(b) Describe the functions of these components of the CPU.
(i) The control unit
The control unit is responsible for controlling much of the operation of the rest of the processor. It does this by issuing control signals to the other areas of the processor, instructing them on what should be performed next.
(ii) The Arithmetic and Logic unit (ALU)
The ALU carries out mathematical and logical computations.
(iii) Registers
Register are memory locations within the CPU itself for storing data and instructions. They are designed to be quickly accessed for fast data retrieval


3. List and describe the stages of the fetch-decode-execute cycle.
The Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle describes the basic steps a CPU carries out to process an instruction.

Fetch - The program Counter copies the address of the next instruction it contains into the Memory Address Register (MAR).  
Decode - The CPU examines the instruction in the current instruction register (CIR) and 'decodes' it. This means a special part of the CPU called the 'decode' unit will make the rest of the CPU ready to carry out the instruction. It does this by issuing a series of 'micro-instructions'.
Execute - The instruction within the instruction register is carried out (executed) by the CPU. The part that executes instructions is called the 'execute unit'.
Reset - Now that the CPU is executing an instruction, the Program counter can now be reset to point to the next instruction

This is the Fetch-Decode-Executecycle that is present in every sequential processing computer.

4. List three common household devices, other than computers, which contains microprocessors.

Ovens
Microwaves
Washing Machines

 



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