C952 - Computer Architecture question well elaborated 2024.

Personal computer (PC) - ANSWERSA computer designed for use by an individual, usually incorporating a graphics display, a keyboard, and a mouse. Server - ANSWERSA computer used for running larger programs for multiple users, often simultaneously, and typically accessed only via a network. Supercomputer: - ANSWERSA class of computers with the highest performance and cost; they are configured as servers and typically cost tens to hundreds of millions of dollars. Embedded computer: - ANSWERSA computer inside another device used for running one predetermined application or collection of software. Personal mobile devices (PMDs) - ANSWERSare small wireless devices to connect to the Internet; they rely on batteries for power, and software is installed by downloading apps. Conventional examples are smart phones and tablets. Cloud computing - ANSWERSrefers to large collections of servers that provide services over the Internet; some providers rent dynamically varying numbers of servers as a utility. Software as a Service (SaaS) - ANSWERSdelivers software and data as a service over the Internet, usually via a thin program such as a browser that runs on local client devices, instead of binary code that must be installed, and runs wholly on that device. Examples include web search and social networking. Multicore microprocessor - ANSWERSA microprocessor containing multiple processors ("cores") in a single integrated circuit. Acronym - ANSWERSA word constructed by taking the initial letters of a string of words. For example: RAM is an acronym for Random Access Memory, and CPU is an acronym for Central Processing Unit. Terabyte (TB): - ANSWERSOriginally 1,099,511,627,776 (240) bytes, although communications and secondary storage systems developers started using the term to mean 1,000,000,000,000 (1012) bytes. To reduce confusion, we now use the term tebibyte (TiB) for 240 bytes, defining terabyte (TB) to mean 1012 bytes. The figure below shows the full range of decimal and binary values and names. Systems software: - ANSWERSSoftware that provides services that are commonly useful, including operating systems, compilers, loaders, and assemblers. Operating system - ANSWERSSupervising program that manages the resources of a computer for the benefit of the programs that run on that computer. Compiler - ANSWERSA program that translates high-level language statements into assembly language statements. Binary digit - ANSWERSAlso called a bit. One of the two numbers in base 2 (0 or 1) that are the components of information. Instruction - ANSWERSA command that computer hardware understands and obeys Assembler - ANSWERSA program that translates a symbolic version of instructions into the binary version. Assembly language - ANSWERSA symbolic representation of machine instructions. Machine language - ANSWERSA binary representation of machine instructions High-level programming language - ANSWERSA portable language such as C, C++, Java, or Visual Basic that is composed of words and algebraic notation that can be translated by a compiler into assembly language. Input device - ANSWERSA mechanism through which the computer is fed information, such as a keyboard. Output device - ANSWERSA mechanism that conveys the result of a computation to a user, such as a display, or to another computer Liquid crystal display: - ANSWERSA display technology using a thin layer of liquid polymers that can be used to transmit or block light according to whether a charge is applied. Active matrix display - ANSWERSA liquid crystal display using a transistor to control the transmission of light at each individual pixel. Pixel - ANSWERSThe smallest individual picture element. Screens are composed of hundreds of thousands to millions of pixels, organized in a matrix. Integrated circuit - ANSWERSAlso called a chip. A device combining dozens to millions of transistors. Central processor unit (CPU) - ANSWERSAlso called processor. The active part of the computer, which contains the datapath and control and which adds numbers, tests numbers, signals I/O devices to activate, and so on. Datapath - ANSWERSThe component of the processor that performs arithmetic operations. Control - ANSWERSThe component of the processor that commands the datapath, memory, and I/O devices according to the instructions of the program. Memory - ANSWERSThe storage area in which programs are kept when they are running and that contains the data needed by the running programs. Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) - ANSWERSMemory built as an integrated circuit; it provides random access to any location. Access times are 50 nanoseconds and cost per gigabyte in 2012 was $5 to $10. Cache memory - ANSWERSA small, fast memory that acts as a buffer for a slower, larger memory.