AS/A level - Computer Science -Chapter_4_Processor Fundamentals

4.1 Central Processing Unit (CPU) Architecture:

Show understanding of the basic Von Neumann model for a computer system and the stored program concept
Show understanding of the purpose and role of registers, including the difference between general
purpose and special purpose registers.
Special purpose registers including:
• Program Counter (PC)
• Memory Data Register (MDR)
• Memory Address Register (MAR)
• The Accumulator (ACC) • Index Register (IX)
• Current Instruction Register (CIR)
• Status Register
Show understanding of the purpose and roles of the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU), Control Unit (CU) and system clock, Immediate Access Store (IAS)
Show understanding of how data are transferred between various components of the computer system using the address bus, data bus and control bus

4.2: Assembly Language:

Show understanding of the relationship between assembly language and machine code.
Describe the different stages of the assembly process for a two-pass assembler
Trace a given simple assembly language program
Show understanding that a set of instructions are grouped
Including the following groups:
Data movement
Input and output of data
Arithmetic operations
Unconditional and conditional instructions
Compare instructions
Show understanding of the different modes of addressing
Including Immediate, direct, indirect, indexed, relative

4.3: Bit manipulation:

Show understanding of and perform binary shifts
logical, arithmetic and cyclic
Left shift, right shift
Show understanding of how bit manipulation can be used to monitor / control a device
Carry out bit manipulation operations
Test and set a bit (using bit masking)