Year 10

Main memory

Year 10

Main memory

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In this lesson, we will be introduced to main memory, RAM and ROM, as well as cache. This lesson builds on the core knowledge from the previous lesson about CPU components.

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5 Questions

Q1.
During the fetch stage of the FDE cycle, where are the instructions fetched from?
A memory stick
Current instruction register
Hard-drive
Correct answer: RAM
Q2.
What does a processor need to do to a binary instruction after it is fetched?
Check for viruses
Convert it to hexadecimal
Correct answer: Decode it
Store it
Q3.
During the execute stage, which CPU component tells the other components what to do?
ALU
Clock
Correct answer: Control Unit
Registers
Q4.
At which stage are results stored in the Accumulator?
Decode
Correct answer: Execute
Fetch
None of them
Q5.
What does the program counter do during the fetch stage?
Counts how long the fetch takes
Correct answer: Increases by 1
Nothing
Stores the next instruction

5 Questions

Q1.
Which of the following are characteristics of RAM? (Select all that apply)
Non-volatile
Correct answer: Read and Write
Read only
Correct answer: Volatile
Q2.
What is usually stored on the ROM inside your computer?
Documents
Correct answer: Instructions needed to 'boot up' the computer
Photos and Videos
The instructions for a program
Q3.
What impact does larger RAM have on the operation of a computer?
It gets hotter
It runs more slowly
It will boost the internet speed
Correct answer: Programs run more efficiently
Q4.
How many levels of cache are typically in a computer system?
One
Ten
Correct answer: Three
Two
Q5.
What feature of cache allows it to improve the performance of a computer?
It's capacity
It's physical size
It's temperature
Correct answer: The speed that data can be read