Term

List and briefly define the four main elements of a computer.

Definition

1. Processor: Controls operation & data processing functions. 2. Main Memory: Volatile storage for data & programs. 3. I/O Modules: Moves data between computer & external environment. 4. System Bus: Communication pathway among CPU, memory, & I/O.

Term

Define the two main categories of processor registers.

Definition

1. User-Visible Registers: Enable assembly programmers to minimize main memory references. 2. Control and Status Registers: Used by CPU & privileged OS routines to control execution.

Term

In general terms, what are the four distinct actions that a machine instruction can specify?

Definition

1. Processor-Memory (data transfer). 2. Processor-I/O (data transfer). 3. Data Processing (arithmetic/logic operations). 4. Control (altering execution sequence, e.g., branches).