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COMPUTER ORGANIZATION AND DESIGN

FALL 1999

ANSWER KEY FOR PRACTICE ASSIGNMENT 1

  1. A substance that conducts electricity well is called a(n) conductor
  2. The monitor (screen) of a computer is an example of a(n) output device
  3. The object shown below is a power supply.
    What is this thing?
  4. The keyboard of a computer is an example of a(n) input device
  5. An individual hardware command to a computer is called a(n) instruction
  6. Copper is a conductor
  7. A CRAY X-MP is an example of a(n) supercomputer
  8. A transistor is used as an electronic on-off switch in digital circuits.
  9. In a magnetic disk, the platters that contain the data rotate at a constant number of revolutions per minute (RPM). On average, it should take a half revolution for the desired data on the disk to spin under the read/write head. Assuming that the disk is rotating at 5400 revolutions per minute (RPM), what is the average time for the data to rotate under the disk head? (Use the notation 1.5E-3 to input a value of 1.5 X 10-3 seconds, for example.) Answer: 5.556E-3 (5.556 X 10-3) seconds

    What is the average time if the disk is spinning at 7200 RPM? Answer: 4.16E-3 (4.16 X 10-3) seconds

    What is the average time if the disk is spinning at 10000 RPM? Answer: 4.16E-3 (3.0 X 10-3) seconds

  10. The object shown below is an integrated circuit.
    What is this thing?
  11. A(n) assembler is a program that translates a symbolic version of a computer program into a binary version.
  12. Silicon dioxide (SiO2) is used extensively in integrated circuits. Bulk, crystalline silicon dioxide is called quartz. Electrically, silicon dioxide is an insulator, a dielectric AND a piezoelectric material (a material that produces a voltage when it is strained, and that changes shape when it is subjected to a voltage).
  13. The processor (or CPU) (or central processor unit) carries out the control function in a computer.
  14. Aluminum is the material that is usually used for the "wiring" in integrated circuits. Electrically, aluminum is a conductor
  15. A(n) compiler is a program that translates a higher-level-language version of a computer program into assembly language.
  16. The base (substrate) material out of which most integrated circuits are made is silicon (Si). Electrically, silicon is a semiconductor
  17. A(n) operating system is a program that manages the resources of a computer for the benefit of other programs that run on that machine.
  18. Another material out of which some very high-speed integrated circuits are made is gallium arsenide (GaAs). Electrically, GaAs is a semiconductor
  19. Assume that wafers A and B have the same area, that wafer A has twice as many dies on it as wafer B, and that the same fabrication process is used for both wafers (thus, the number of defects per unit area is a constant). Dies from wafer B will cost more than twice as much as dies from wafer A. Because dies from wafer A are smaller than dies from wafer B, wafer A has a smaller percentage of defective dies than wafer B.
  20. Microsoft Windows® is an operating system.
  21. Microsoft Word® is an application program.
  22. UNIX® is an operating system
  23. DOS® is an operating system
  24. DOS® runs on a personal computer or a mainframe computer. However, the mainframe DOS bears no resemblance to the DOS that runs on personal computers.