13.3. CPU Architecture and Instruction Control

Try these first

1. 1.

   What does the Program Counter (PC) do?

   Hint

   Think about what happens between instructions.

2. 2.

   What is the Instruction Register (IR) used for?

   Hint

   Recall its role during the instruction cycle.

3. 3.

   What is the main purpose of the Program Counter (PC)?

   • To hold the current instruction
   • To keep track of instruction addresses
   • To manage control signals

   Hint

   It keeps track of what comes next in the instruction sequence.

4. 4.

   True or False: The Instruction Register (IR) is involved in fetching instructions from memory.

   • True
   • False

   Hint

   Think about the role of IR during the instruction cycle.

5. 5.

   Describe how you might implement a new instruction 'SUBTRACT' at the architecture level, including necessary control signals and registers involved.

   Hint

   Focus on how data moves and how control signals are influenced by the new operation.

6. 6.

   Explain how pipelining could be applied to the instruction cycle in CPUs and what benefits it would bring.

   Hint

   Consider the continuous flow of instructions through different CPU stages.