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EnglandComputer Science

Component 2: Computer Architecture, Data, Communication and Applications

6 dot points across 6 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

How does assembly language map onto machine operations, and what do the addressing modes mean?

Assembly language: the instruction set with its opcode and operand, common operations (load, store, add, jump, compare), the relationship between assembly and machine code, and immediate, direct and indirect addressing modes.
An Eduqas Component 2 answer on assembly language: the opcode and operand structure of an instruction, common operations such as load, store, add, jump and compare, how assembly maps to machine code via the assembler, and immediate, direct and indirect addressing modes.
13 min answer →

How do input and output devices and the different storage technologies work, and how is the memory hierarchy organised?

Input, output and storage: the role of input and output devices, the memory hierarchy from registers and cache to RAM and secondary storage, and the operating principles, advantages and uses of magnetic, optical and solid-state storage.
An Eduqas Component 2 answer on input, output and storage: the role of input and output devices, the memory hierarchy from registers and cache to RAM and secondary storage, and how magnetic, optical and solid-state (flash) storage work with their advantages and uses.
13 min answer →

How are computers connected into networks, what topologies and models are used, and what hardware makes a network work?

Networks: LANs and WANs, network topologies (bus, star, mesh), the client-server and peer-to-peer models, and the hardware that connects a network (network interface cards, switches, routers and the role of the internet).
An Eduqas Component 2 answer on networks: the difference between LANs and WANs, the bus, star and mesh topologies with their pros and cons, the client-server versus peer-to-peer models, and the hardware (NICs, switches, routers) that connects a network.
13 min answer →

What determines how fast a processor is, and how do RISC, CISC, multiple cores and pipelining improve performance?

Processor performance: the factors affecting CPU performance (clock speed, number of cores, cache size and word length), the difference between RISC and CISC, and the use of pipelining and parallel processing.
An Eduqas Component 2 answer on processor performance: how clock speed, number of cores, cache size and word length affect speed, the difference between RISC and CISC, and how pipelining and parallel processing increase throughput.
13 min answer →

How does the processor fetch, decode and execute an instruction, and what role does each register play?

The fetch-decode-execute cycle: the special-purpose registers (PC, MAR, MDR, CIR, ACC) and their use in fetching, decoding and executing an instruction, and the effect of the cycle on the registers.
An Eduqas Component 2 answer on the fetch-decode-execute cycle: the special-purpose registers (program counter, MAR, MDR, current instruction register, accumulator) and exactly how each is used to fetch, decode and execute an instruction.
13 min answer →

How is a processor organised, and what is the difference between the Von Neumann and Harvard architectures?

Computer architecture: the components of the CPU (the ALU, the control unit, the registers and the system buses), the Von Neumann stored-program concept, and the difference between Von Neumann and Harvard architectures.
An Eduqas Component 2 answer on computer architecture: the components of the CPU (ALU, control unit, registers), the address, data and control buses, the Von Neumann stored-program concept, and how Von Neumann differs from Harvard architecture.
13 min answer →