1.1. Computer Organization and Architecture: A Pedagogical Aspect

Try these first

1. 1.

   What is the purpose of a flag in computer architecture?

   Hint

   Think about how the CPU uses flags to make decisions in execution.

2. 2.

   Define a conditional instruction.

   Hint

   Consider programming concepts like if-else statements.

3. 3.

   What is a conditional instruction?

   • An instruction executed always
   • An instruction based on a condition
   • An instruction that never executes

   Hint

   Think about how decisions are made in coding.

4. 4.

   True or False: The program counter always increments by 1 for every instruction.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Consider when jumps could occur.

5. 5.

   Design a small loop in pseudocode that counts from 10 to 0 and uses flags to determine when to exit.

   Hint

   Think about how iterations should occur.

6. 6.

   Explain how using the overflow flag can prevent errors in a program involving addition of large integers.

   Hint

   Consider scenarios where memory limits matter.