WGU C952 - COMPUTER ARCHITECTURE EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS DETAILED
SOLUTIONS 2026
• response time -✓✓ Also known asExecution Time. The total time required for the
computer to complete a task, including disk accesses, memory accesses, I/O
activities, operating system overhead, CPU execution time, and so on.
• execution time -✓✓ Also known as Response Time. The total time required for
the computer to complete a task, including disk accesses, memory accesses, I/O
activities, operating system overhead, CPU execution time, and so on.
• throughput -✓✓ Also know as Bandwidth. The number of tasks completed per
unit time.
• bandwidth -✓✓ Also known as Throughput. The number of tasks completed per
unit time.
• CPU execution time -✓✓ The actual time the CPU spends computing for a
specific task.
• user CPU time -✓✓ The CPU time spent in a program itself.
• system CPU time -✓✓ The CPU time spent in the operating system performing
tasks on behalf of the program.
• system performance -✓✓ The overall capability and efficiency of a computer
system in carrying out various tasks and workloads.
,• CPU performance -✓✓ The measurement of a computer's processor's ability to
execute tasks and processes effectively and efficiently.
• clock rate -✓✓ The time for one clock period, usually of the processor clock,
which runs at a constant rate.
• clock period -✓✓ The length of each clock cycle.
• CPI -✓✓ Average number of clock cycles per instruction for a program or
program fragment.
• instruction count -✓✓ The number of instructions executed by the program.
• instruction mix -✓✓ A measure of the dynamic frequency of instructions across
one or many programs.
• IPC -✓✓ A metric used to measure the efficiency and performance of a
computer's central processing unit. The opposite of CPI.
• fields -✓✓ A machine instruction is composed of fields, each field having several
bits and representing some part of the instruction.
• instruction format -✓✓ A form of representation of an instruction composed of
fields of binary numbers
,• machine language -✓✓ Binary representation used for communication within a
computer system.
• hexadecimal -✓✓ Numbers in base 16.
• opcode -✓✓ The field that denotes the operation and format of an instruction.
• destination register -✓✓ A register that receives the result of an operation
• stored program concept -✓✓ Programs are stored in memory along with data
• scientific notation -✓✓ A notation that renders numbers with a single digit to the
left of the decimal point.
• normalized -✓✓ A number in floating-point notation that has no leading 0s.
• floating point -✓✓ Computer arithmetic that represents numbers in which the
binary point is not fixed.
• fraction -✓✓ The value, generally between 0 and 1, placed in the fraction field.
The fraction is also called the mantissa.
• exponent -✓✓ In the numerical representation system of floating-point
arithmetic, the value that is placed in the exponent field.
, • floating point representation -✓✓ A method used in computer systems to store
and manipulate real numbers
• overflow -✓✓ A situation in which a positive exponent becomes too large to fit in
the exponent field.
• underflow -✓✓ A situation in which a negative exponent becomes too large to fit
in the exponent field.
• single precision -✓✓ A floating-point value represented in a 32-bit word.
• double precision -✓✓ A floating-point value represented in a 64-bit doubleword.
• exception -✓✓ Also known as an interrupt. An unscheduled event that disrupts
program execution; used to detect overflow.
• interrupt -✓✓ Also known as an exception. An unscheduled event that disrupts
program execution; used to detect overflow.
• NaN -✓✓ Not a Number. the result of invalid operations
• Floating point instructions in ARM -✓✓ A set of instructions specifically
designed to perform arithmetic and data manipulation operations on floating-point
numbers
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS DETAILED
SOLUTIONS 2026
• response time -✓✓ Also known asExecution Time. The total time required for the
computer to complete a task, including disk accesses, memory accesses, I/O
activities, operating system overhead, CPU execution time, and so on.
• execution time -✓✓ Also known as Response Time. The total time required for
the computer to complete a task, including disk accesses, memory accesses, I/O
activities, operating system overhead, CPU execution time, and so on.
• throughput -✓✓ Also know as Bandwidth. The number of tasks completed per
unit time.
• bandwidth -✓✓ Also known as Throughput. The number of tasks completed per
unit time.
• CPU execution time -✓✓ The actual time the CPU spends computing for a
specific task.
• user CPU time -✓✓ The CPU time spent in a program itself.
• system CPU time -✓✓ The CPU time spent in the operating system performing
tasks on behalf of the program.
• system performance -✓✓ The overall capability and efficiency of a computer
system in carrying out various tasks and workloads.
,• CPU performance -✓✓ The measurement of a computer's processor's ability to
execute tasks and processes effectively and efficiently.
• clock rate -✓✓ The time for one clock period, usually of the processor clock,
which runs at a constant rate.
• clock period -✓✓ The length of each clock cycle.
• CPI -✓✓ Average number of clock cycles per instruction for a program or
program fragment.
• instruction count -✓✓ The number of instructions executed by the program.
• instruction mix -✓✓ A measure of the dynamic frequency of instructions across
one or many programs.
• IPC -✓✓ A metric used to measure the efficiency and performance of a
computer's central processing unit. The opposite of CPI.
• fields -✓✓ A machine instruction is composed of fields, each field having several
bits and representing some part of the instruction.
• instruction format -✓✓ A form of representation of an instruction composed of
fields of binary numbers
,• machine language -✓✓ Binary representation used for communication within a
computer system.
• hexadecimal -✓✓ Numbers in base 16.
• opcode -✓✓ The field that denotes the operation and format of an instruction.
• destination register -✓✓ A register that receives the result of an operation
• stored program concept -✓✓ Programs are stored in memory along with data
• scientific notation -✓✓ A notation that renders numbers with a single digit to the
left of the decimal point.
• normalized -✓✓ A number in floating-point notation that has no leading 0s.
• floating point -✓✓ Computer arithmetic that represents numbers in which the
binary point is not fixed.
• fraction -✓✓ The value, generally between 0 and 1, placed in the fraction field.
The fraction is also called the mantissa.
• exponent -✓✓ In the numerical representation system of floating-point
arithmetic, the value that is placed in the exponent field.
, • floating point representation -✓✓ A method used in computer systems to store
and manipulate real numbers
• overflow -✓✓ A situation in which a positive exponent becomes too large to fit in
the exponent field.
• underflow -✓✓ A situation in which a negative exponent becomes too large to fit
in the exponent field.
• single precision -✓✓ A floating-point value represented in a 32-bit word.
• double precision -✓✓ A floating-point value represented in a 64-bit doubleword.
• exception -✓✓ Also known as an interrupt. An unscheduled event that disrupts
program execution; used to detect overflow.
• interrupt -✓✓ Also known as an exception. An unscheduled event that disrupts
program execution; used to detect overflow.
• NaN -✓✓ Not a Number. the result of invalid operations
• Floating point instructions in ARM -✓✓ A set of instructions specifically
designed to perform arithmetic and data manipulation operations on floating-point
numbers
