1.1 Systems Architecture - Key Vocabulary Flashcards

Front

CPU

Back

Central Processing Unit - The main component of a computer that carries out instructions, performs calculations, and manages other operations.

Front

CU

Back

Control Unit - the part of the CPU that manages the functions of all other parts of the CPU.

Front

Decoder

Back

Part of the control unit (CU) that decodes the binary instructions fetched from memory.

Front

RAM

Back

Random Access Memory - the main volatile memory into which programs are loaded from the hard drive.

Front

MAR

Back

Memory Address Register - A small, fast memory used to store the RAM address of the next instruction.

Front

MDR

Back

Memory Data Register - a small, fast memory used to store the information collected from the RAM before processing.

Front

PC

Back

Program Counter - Keeps track of the current instruction number in the program.

Front

Accumulator

Back

A small, fast memory used to keep track of the data currently being processed.

Front

ALU

Back

Arithmetic and Logic Unit - performs basic mathematics and comparisons during processing.

Front

Bus

Back

A physical connection between two elements of a computer system that allows the transfer of data.