(1) When data is input into a computer, it is nearly always manipulated and stored in some standard data format. Why is the use of standard data formats essential, or indeed, crucial to successful data processing? Information technology (IT) systems are considered to consist of four major components. What are the four components of an IT system? Briefly, describe each. (2) What is a register? Be exact. (3) Define a "bus"? What is the purpose of a bus? What three types of data might a bus carry? (4) How does pipelining improve the efficiency of a CPU? What is the potential effect of executing a conditional branch instruction on the efficiency gained by pipelining? What technique(s) can be employed to make pipelining more efficient when executing conditional branch instructions? (5) Carefully describe the advantages and disadvantages of master-slave multiprocessing and symmetrical multiprocessing. Which would you select for fault-tolerant computing? Why? (6) Consider the following register and memory values: Register Contents Memory Locations Contents 1 150 150 412 2 151 151 006 3 350 152 153 4 351 153 000 PC 320 350 152 BR 405 351 413 X 198 352 001 AC 352 410 320 411 123 412 413 413 222 PC is the Program Counter, BR is a Base Register, X is an Index Register, AC is the Accumulator. a. Compute the result of an ADD IMMEDIATE 150 instruction. b. Compute the result of an ADD DIRECT 150 instruction. c. Compute the result of an ADD INDIRECT 150 instruction. d. Compute the result of an ADD REGISTER 2 DIRECT instruction. e. Compute the result of an ADD REGISTER 2 INDIRECT instruction. f. Compute the result of an ADD BASE REGISTER 6 instruction. (7) Describe the trade-offs between the memory cache write-through and write-back techniques. .

1. (1) When data is input into a computer, it is nearly always
manipulated and stored in some standard data format. Why is
the use of standard data formats essential, or indeed, crucial to
successful data processing? Information technology (IT)
systems are considered to consist of four major components.
What are the four components of an IT system? Briefly,
describe each.
(2) What is a register? Be exact.
(3) Define a "bus"? What is the purpose of a bus? What three
types of data might a bus carry?
(4) How does pipelining improve the efficiency of a CPU? What
is the potential effect of executing a conditional branch
instruction on the efficiency gained by pipelining? What
technique(s) can be employed to make pipelining more efficient
when executing conditional branch instructions?
(5)
Carefully describe the advantages and disadvantages of master-
slave multiprocessing and symmetrical multiprocessing. Which
would you select for fault-tolerant computing? Why?
(6)

2. Consider the following register and memory values:
Register
Contents
Memory Locations
Contents
1
150
150
412

3. 2
151
151
006
3
350
152
153
4
351

4. 153
000
PC
320
350
152
BR
405
351

5. 413
X
198
352
001
AC
352
410
320

6. 411
123
412
413

7. 413
222
PC is the Program Counter, BR is a Base Register, X is an Index
Register, AC is the Accumulator.
a. Compute the result of an ADD IMMEDIATE 150 instruction.
b. Compute the result of an ADD DIRECT 150 instruction.
c. Compute the result of an ADD INDIRECT 150 instruction.
d. Compute the result of an ADD REGISTER 2 DIRECT
instruction.
e. Compute the result of an ADD REGISTER 2 INDIRECT
instruction.
f. Compute the result of an ADD BASE REGISTER 6
instruction.

8. (7)
Describe the trade-offs between the memory cache write-
through and write-back techniques.