Processors and Parallel Processing Quiz

A computer uses the following status registers when carrying out the addition of two binary numbers: a carry flag (C), an overflow flag (V), a negative flag (N). Describe what happens to the above status registers when the following pairs of 8-bit binary numbers are added together and explain the significance of the flag values in both sets of calculation a) 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 and 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 b) 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 and 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0.

Answer explanation

a) The sum is 00000011, C=0, V=0, N=0. b) The sum is 11111010, C=1, V=0, N=1. C indicates carry out, V indicates overflow, and N indicates negative result. Flags help in detecting errors in arithmetic operations.

Describe the stages in the fetch-execute cycle.

A processor contains three buses: data bus, address bus and control bus. i) What factors determine the width of a bus? ii) Which of the three buses will have the smallest width? iii) An address bus is increased from 16-bit to 64-bit. What would be the result of this upgrade to the processor? b) Explain the role of i) the clock ii) interrupts in a typical processor.

Describe why RISC is an important development in processor technology.

Describe the main differences between RISC and CISC technologies.

What is meant by the Von Neumann bottleneck?

How does the Von Neumann bottleneck impact on processor performance?

What are the main differences between cluster computers and massively parallel computers?

Describe one application which uses massively parallel computers. Justify your choice of answer.

Draw a diagram to show how many clock cycles are needed for these six instructions to be carried out. Compare your answer to the number of clock cycles needed for a processor using sequential processing.