basic computer operations

• What is the main focus of the lesson on Computational Thinking?

  Basic Computer Operations
• What should students be able to do by the end of the lesson on Computational Thinking?

  Describe the basic organization and modules in a basic computer
• What are the functional units in the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a computer?

  Control Unit, Arithmetic/Logic Unit, Register Array
• What is the role of the Central Processing Unit (CPU) in a computer?

  The CPU processes information and performs operations based on the information given
• What does the Memory module do in a computer?

  It stores information used by the computer
• What is the function of the Input/Output (I/O) Interface?

  It is a mechanism for transferring information to and from the outside world
• What is the purpose of the System Bus in a computer?

  It provides the connection between the modules
• What is a Microprocessor?

  A Microprocessor is a component that integrates the CPU, memory, and I/O interface
• What are the types of information represented in a computer system?

  Instruction and Data
• How is information represented to a computer?

  In the form of voltage levels
• What are the two voltage levels used to represent binary information?

  Low voltage (0 volt) and High voltage
• What does the binary digit represent in a computer?

  ‘0’ for low voltage and ‘1’ for high voltage
• What is Binary Format?

  Information representation using binary bits
• What does the subscript ‘2’ or ‘b’ indicate in binary numbers?

  It means the number should be interpreted using a base-2 numeral system
• How many values can a datum consisting of one bit have?

  Two values: either 0 or 1
• What is the general expression for an n-bit binary number?

  bn-1…bk…b2b1b0
• How can the decimal value of an n-bit (unsigned) binary number be calculated?

  Using the formula $2^{n-1} \times b_{n-1} +$$\ldots +$$2^{k} \times b_{k} +$$\ldots +$$2^{2} \times b_{2} +$$2^{1} \times b_{1} +$$2^{0} \times b_{0}$
• What is the decimal value of the binary number $0110_b$?


  6
• What is the hexadecimal format used for?

  To make it easier for humans to read and write binary data
• How many binary bits does each hexadecimal symbol represent?

  Four binary bits
• How is binary data converted to hexadecimal format?

  By separating the binary data into groups of four bits
• What does the term "Memory Size" refer to?

  The total number of locations that a memory module can support
• How is memory size calculated based on the address bus?

  Memory size = $2^n$ bytes
• What is the memory size when $n =$$10$?


  1024 bytes (1 KiloByte)
• What is the memory size when $n =$$20$?


  1 MegaByte (MB)
• What is the memory size when $n =$$30$?


  1 GigaByte (GB)
• What is the difference between a 32-bit computer and a 64-bit computer?

  A 32-bit computer uses a CPU with 32-bit registers and memory addressing, while a 64-bit computer uses a CPU with 64-bit registers and memory addressing

  
• What determines the operation of a computer?

  A sequence of instructions given by the user, collectively known as a program
• How are program instructions stored in memory?

  They look like codes representing instructions but are interpreted as commands when retrieved by the CPU
• What is the difference between software and hardware?

  Software refers to the programs and instructions, while hardware refers to the physical components of the computer

  
• In what format are all instructions encoded in a computer?

  In binary format
• What is the role of the Control Unit (CU) in the CPU?

  It controls and coordinates the overall operation of the CPU
• What does the Arithmetic/Logic Unit (ALU) do?

  It performs arithmetic operations and Boolean logic functions
• What is the purpose of the Register Array in the CPU?

  It holds the various information used by CPU operations
• What are the three main functional units within the CPU?

  Control Unit (CU), Arithmetic/Logic Unit (ALU), Register Array
• What is the function of the Data Bus?

  It conveys the information from one module to another
• What does the Control Bus do?

  It provides control signals for the modules to work together
• What is the purpose of the Address Bus?

  It conveys the address information
• What does the address bus determine during data transfer?

  The location of the source and destination of the data transfer
• What is the primary function of the address bus?

  To specify the physical memory locations where data is to be read from or written to