Computer Science H446/01: Computer
systems Advanced GCE||Exam
Preparations ||Latest Update 2026
||with Correct - answers !!
ALU - - answersC Arithmetic Logic Unit
"The part of the CPU where data is processed and manipulated. This processing and
manipulation normally consists of arithmetic operations or logical comparisons allowing
a program to make decisions."
CU - - answersC "The part of the CPU that manages the execution of instructions. The
control unit fetches each instruction in sequence, and decodes and synchronises it
before executing it by sending control signals to other parts of the computer."
Register - - answersC "Tiny areas of extremely fast memory located in the CPU
normally designed for a specific purpose, where data or control information is stored
temporarily."
PC - - answersC Program Counter
"A register in the control unit which holds the address of the next instruction to be
executed."
ACC - - answersC Accumulator
A special register within the ALU. It is used to hold the data currently being processed
by the central processor. Any data to be processed is stored temporarily in the
accumulator, the results ending up back in the accumulator being stored in the memory
unit."
MAR - - answersC Memory Address Register
"A register in the CPU that stores the address of the memory location currently in use.
In the fetch phase, this would be the address of the instruction being loaded; in the
execute phase, it would be the address of the data being used."
MDR - - answersC Memory Data Register
"A register in the CPU that stores data being transferred to and from the immediate-
access store. It acts as a buffer, allowing the central processor and memory unit to act
independently without being affected by minor differences in operation. A data item will
be copied to the MDR ready for use at the next clock pulse, when it can either be used
by the central processor or be stored in main memory."
,CIR - - answersC Current Instruction Register
"A register in the control unit that stores the address of the next instruction currently
being executed and decoded."
Buses - - answersC "A common physical pathway shared by signals to and from
several components of a computer."
Data Bus - - answersC "A common physical pathway shared by signals to and from
several components of a computer."
Address Bus - - answersC "The part of the bus which carries identification about where
the data is being sent."
Control Bus - - answersC "This bus carries command and control signals to and from
every other component of a computer."
Fetch-Decode-Execute - - answersC "The complete process of retrieving an instruction
from store, decoding it and carrying it out. Also known as the instruction cycle."
CPU - - answersC Central Processing Unit
"The main part of the computer, consisting of the registers, ALU and control unit."
Clock Speed - - answersC "Measured in Hertz, the clock speed is the frequency at
which the internal clock generates pulses. The higher the clock rate, the faster the
computer may work. The "clock" is the electronic unit that synchronises related
components by generating pulses at a constant rate."
Cores - - answersC "A part of a multi-core processor. A multi-core processor is a single
component with two or more independent actual CPUs, which are the units responsibly
for the fetch-decode-execute cycle."
Cache - - answersC "A part of the main store between the central processor and the
rest of the memory. It has extremely fast access, so sections of a program and its
associated data are copied there to take advantage of its short fetch cycle."
Pipelinning - - answersC "The concurrent decoding of two or more machine
instructions. While part of one instruction (for example, an address field) is being
decoded, another part of a second instructions (for example, an operation code) may
also be decoded."
Von Neumann Architecture - - answersC "Traditional computer architecture that forms
the basis of most digital computer systems. A single control unit manages program
control flow following a linear sequence of "fetch-decode-execute""
, Harvard Architecture - - answersC "A computer architecture with physically separate
storage and signal pathways for instructions and data. These early machines had data
storage entirely contained within the central processing unit, and provided no access to
the instruction storage as data."
Contemporary Architecture - - answersC "Any modern set of disciplines that describes
the functionality, the organisation and the implementation of computer systems."
CISC - - answersC Complex Instruction Set Computing
"A design that produces a complicated and expensive integrated circuit capable of
performing a large variety of complex instructions. Complex instructions can be
executed with few machine cycles."
RISC - - answersC Reduced Instruction Set Computing
"A design that produces a simple, cheap integrated circuit with a basic range of machine
instructions. Relies on speed as complex instructions take many machine cycles."
GPU - - answersC Graphical Processing Unit
"A specialised electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to
accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display.
Modern GPUs highly parallel structure makes them more effective than general-purpose
CPUs for algorithms where processing of large blocks of data is done in parallel."
Multicore System - - answersC "Development of CISC architecture with several sets of
CPU components in one microprocessor."
Parallel Processor System - - answersC "The simultaneous use of several processors
to perform a single job. A job may be split into a number of tasks each of which may be
processed by any available processor."
Input Device - - answersC "Any peripheral device that can accept data, presented in
the appropriate machine-readable form, decode it and transmit it as electrical pulses to
the CPU"
Output Device - - answersC "Any peripheral device that translates signals from the
computer into a human-readable form or into a form suitable for reprocessing by the
computer at a later stage."
Storage Device - - answersC "Any medium (optical, magnetic, solid state and even
paper which holds data or programs"
Magnetic Storage - - answersC "Storage medium which uses surfaces coated with a
layer of magnetic material on which data can be stored by magnetically setting the
arrangement of the magnetic material. This is done by electromagnetic read/write
heads."
systems Advanced GCE||Exam
Preparations ||Latest Update 2026
||with Correct - answers !!
ALU - - answersC Arithmetic Logic Unit
"The part of the CPU where data is processed and manipulated. This processing and
manipulation normally consists of arithmetic operations or logical comparisons allowing
a program to make decisions."
CU - - answersC "The part of the CPU that manages the execution of instructions. The
control unit fetches each instruction in sequence, and decodes and synchronises it
before executing it by sending control signals to other parts of the computer."
Register - - answersC "Tiny areas of extremely fast memory located in the CPU
normally designed for a specific purpose, where data or control information is stored
temporarily."
PC - - answersC Program Counter
"A register in the control unit which holds the address of the next instruction to be
executed."
ACC - - answersC Accumulator
A special register within the ALU. It is used to hold the data currently being processed
by the central processor. Any data to be processed is stored temporarily in the
accumulator, the results ending up back in the accumulator being stored in the memory
unit."
MAR - - answersC Memory Address Register
"A register in the CPU that stores the address of the memory location currently in use.
In the fetch phase, this would be the address of the instruction being loaded; in the
execute phase, it would be the address of the data being used."
MDR - - answersC Memory Data Register
"A register in the CPU that stores data being transferred to and from the immediate-
access store. It acts as a buffer, allowing the central processor and memory unit to act
independently without being affected by minor differences in operation. A data item will
be copied to the MDR ready for use at the next clock pulse, when it can either be used
by the central processor or be stored in main memory."
,CIR - - answersC Current Instruction Register
"A register in the control unit that stores the address of the next instruction currently
being executed and decoded."
Buses - - answersC "A common physical pathway shared by signals to and from
several components of a computer."
Data Bus - - answersC "A common physical pathway shared by signals to and from
several components of a computer."
Address Bus - - answersC "The part of the bus which carries identification about where
the data is being sent."
Control Bus - - answersC "This bus carries command and control signals to and from
every other component of a computer."
Fetch-Decode-Execute - - answersC "The complete process of retrieving an instruction
from store, decoding it and carrying it out. Also known as the instruction cycle."
CPU - - answersC Central Processing Unit
"The main part of the computer, consisting of the registers, ALU and control unit."
Clock Speed - - answersC "Measured in Hertz, the clock speed is the frequency at
which the internal clock generates pulses. The higher the clock rate, the faster the
computer may work. The "clock" is the electronic unit that synchronises related
components by generating pulses at a constant rate."
Cores - - answersC "A part of a multi-core processor. A multi-core processor is a single
component with two or more independent actual CPUs, which are the units responsibly
for the fetch-decode-execute cycle."
Cache - - answersC "A part of the main store between the central processor and the
rest of the memory. It has extremely fast access, so sections of a program and its
associated data are copied there to take advantage of its short fetch cycle."
Pipelinning - - answersC "The concurrent decoding of two or more machine
instructions. While part of one instruction (for example, an address field) is being
decoded, another part of a second instructions (for example, an operation code) may
also be decoded."
Von Neumann Architecture - - answersC "Traditional computer architecture that forms
the basis of most digital computer systems. A single control unit manages program
control flow following a linear sequence of "fetch-decode-execute""
, Harvard Architecture - - answersC "A computer architecture with physically separate
storage and signal pathways for instructions and data. These early machines had data
storage entirely contained within the central processing unit, and provided no access to
the instruction storage as data."
Contemporary Architecture - - answersC "Any modern set of disciplines that describes
the functionality, the organisation and the implementation of computer systems."
CISC - - answersC Complex Instruction Set Computing
"A design that produces a complicated and expensive integrated circuit capable of
performing a large variety of complex instructions. Complex instructions can be
executed with few machine cycles."
RISC - - answersC Reduced Instruction Set Computing
"A design that produces a simple, cheap integrated circuit with a basic range of machine
instructions. Relies on speed as complex instructions take many machine cycles."
GPU - - answersC Graphical Processing Unit
"A specialised electronic circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory to
accelerate the creation of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display.
Modern GPUs highly parallel structure makes them more effective than general-purpose
CPUs for algorithms where processing of large blocks of data is done in parallel."
Multicore System - - answersC "Development of CISC architecture with several sets of
CPU components in one microprocessor."
Parallel Processor System - - answersC "The simultaneous use of several processors
to perform a single job. A job may be split into a number of tasks each of which may be
processed by any available processor."
Input Device - - answersC "Any peripheral device that can accept data, presented in
the appropriate machine-readable form, decode it and transmit it as electrical pulses to
the CPU"
Output Device - - answersC "Any peripheral device that translates signals from the
computer into a human-readable form or into a form suitable for reprocessing by the
computer at a later stage."
Storage Device - - answersC "Any medium (optical, magnetic, solid state and even
paper which holds data or programs"
Magnetic Storage - - answersC "Storage medium which uses surfaces coated with a
layer of magnetic material on which data can be stored by magnetically setting the
arrangement of the magnetic material. This is done by electromagnetic read/write
heads."
