ComputerScienceUK.
com Fold Line OCR J277 Flashcards - CSUK:Teacher
Q A
What is the CPU?
Q A
What are CPUs often known as?
Q A
What is the job of a CPU?
Q A
What examples are there of processing data?
Q A
When you open a program, where is its
instructions and data loaded?
Q A
What happens during the ‘Fetch’ stage of the
fetch-decode-execute cycle?
Q A
What happens during the ‘Decode’ stage of
the fetch-decode-execute cycle?
Q A
What happens during the ‘Execute’ stage of
the fetch-decode-execute cycle?
Computer Science UK – 1.1 The Function of the CPU
The CPU (central processing unit) is a small
computer component which is responsible for
the processing of data and instructions.
CPUs are often known as ‘the ‘Brain’ of the
Computer’.
The job of the CPU is to ‘Fetch’, ‘Decode’ and
‘Execute’ instructions.
In other words, ‘process data’.
Processing means things like:
Searching
Sorting
Calculating
Decision Making
When you open a program, all the data
needed for the program to run is loaded onto
the RAM
The CPU will fetch data/instructions from the RAM.
To do this it will call the address of the next item via
the address bus.
The data/instructions are then sent back to the
CPU via the data bus.
The decode stage is where the CPU makes
sense of the instructions and prepares for the
next stage.
The execute stage is where the data
processing takes place.
Instructions are carried out on the data.
1
 ComputerScienceUK.com
Q A
What are the three main areas that together
form the CPU architecture?
Q A
Name 3 jobs that the control unit will carry
out.
Q A
What is the purpose of the IAS?
(Immediate Access Store)
Q A
What is the purpose of the ALU?
(Arithmetic & Logic Unit)
Q A
Describe the journey of an instruction as it
makes its way to through the CPU.
Q A
Q A
Q A
Computer Science UK – 1.1 The Function of the CPU
Fold Line OCR J277 Flashcards - CSUK:Teacher
The CPU consists of:
- Control Unit
- Immediate Access Store (cache)
- Arithmetic and Logic Unit
1. Managing and monitoring hardware ensuring
data goes to the correct hardware.
2. Managing and monitoring input / output signals,
ensuring they are dealt with correctly.
3. Managing the Fetch – Decode -Execute cycle.
The RAM is far slower at delivering data than the ALU
(arithmetic and logic unit) is at processing it. The IAS (cache) is
far faster at delivering the data than the RAM. The IAS,
therefore, will accept sets of instructions from the RAM so that it
can supply the ALU at the same speed as the CPU can process.
This means the CPU can work at top speed (not having to wait
for deliveries of data from the RAM).
The ALU is where the CPU actually carries out the
maths and logic on the data (it processes it). It has
an arithmetic part (where it performs calculations on
the data) and it has a logic part (where it deals with
logical operators such as true/false/equal to etc).
1. An input device (e.g. keyboard) sends data/instructions to
the CPU. The Control Unit receives these data/instructions.
2. The Control Unit sends this data/instruction into main
memory (RAM) to be used later.
3. When the time is right, the data will be transferred from
main memory into cache (IAS)
4. The data will then be sent to the ALU for processing
5. The control unit will send the processed data back, for
example, to an output device such as a screen or monitor,
or back into main memory for later use.
2