Code Conversion

There are many methods or techniques which can be used to convert code from one format to another. We'll demonstrate here the following

• Binary to BCD Conversion
• BCD to Binary Conversion
• BCD to Excess-3
• Excess-3 to BCD

Binary to BCD Conversion

Steps

• Step 1 -- Convert the binary number to decimal.

• Step 2 -- Convert decimal number to BCD.

Example − convert (11101)₂ to BCD.

Step 1 − Convert to Decimal

Binary Number − 11101₂

Calculating Decimal Equivalent −

Step	Binary Number	Decimal Number
Step 1	111012	((1 × 24) + (1 × 23) + (1 × 22) + (0 × 21) + (1 × 20))10
Step 2	111012	(16 + 8 + 4 + 0 + 1)10
Step 3	111012	2910

Binary Number − 11101₂ = Decimal Number − 29₁₀

Step 2 − Convert to BCD

Decimal Number − 29₁₀

Calculating BCD Equivalent. Convert each digit into groups of four binary digits equivalent.

Step	Decimal Number	Conversion
Step 1	2910	00102 10012
Step 2	2910	00101001BCD

Result

(11101)2 =  (00101001)BCD

BCD to Binary Conversion

Steps

• Step 1 -- Convert the BCD number to decimal.

• Step 2 -- Convert decimal to binary.

Example − convert (00101001)_BCD to Binary.

Step 1 - Convert to BCD

BCD Number − (00101001)_BCD

Calculating Decimal Equivalent. Convert each four digit into a group and get decimal equivalent for each group.

Step	BCD Number	Conversion
Step 1	(00101001)BCD	00102 10012
Step 2	(00101001)BCD	210 910
Step 3	(00101001)BCD	2910

BCD Number − (00101001)_BCD = Decimal Number − 29₁₀

Step 2 - Convert to Binary

Used long division method for decimal to binary conversion.

Decimal Number − 29₁₀

Calculating Binary Equivalent −

Step	Operation	Result	Remainder
Step 1	29 / 2	14	1
Step 2	14 / 2	7	0
Step 3	7 / 2	3	1
Step 4	3 / 2	1	1
Step 5	1 / 2	0	1

As mentioned in Steps 2 and 4, the remainders have to be arranged in the reverse order so that the first remainder becomes the least significant digit (LSD) and the last remainder becomes the most significant digit (MSD).

Decimal Number − 29₁₀ = Binary Number − 11101₂

Result

(00101001)BCD = (11101)2

BCD to Excess-3

Steps

• Step 1 -- Convert BCD to decimal.

• Step 2 -- Add (3)₁₀ to this decimal number.

• Step 3 -- Convert into binary to get excess-3 code.

Example − convert (0110)_BCD to Excess-3.

Step 1 − Convert to decimal

(0110)_BCD = 6₁₀

Step 2 − Add 3 to decimal

(6)₁₀ + (3)₁₀ = (9)₁₀

Step 3 − Convert to Excess-3

(9)₁₀ = (1001)₂

Result

(0110)BCD = (1001)XS-3

Excess-3 to BCD Conversion

Steps

• Step 1 -- Subtract (0011)₂ from each 4 bit of excess-3 digit to obtain the corresponding BCD code.

Example − convert (10011010)_XS-3 to BCD.

Given XS-3 number  = 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 
Subtract (0011)2   = 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 1
                    --------------------
               BCD = 0 1 1 0   0 1 1 1

Computer architecture

In computer engineering, computer architecture is a set of rules and methods that describe the functionality, organization, and implementation of computer systems. Some definitions of architecture define it as describing the capabilities and programming model of a computer but not a particular implementation.

Von Neumann Architecture

Von Neumann architecture was first published by John von Neumann in 1945.

His computer architecture design consists of a Control Unit, Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU), Memory Unit, Registers and Inputs/Outputs.

Von Neumann architecture is based on the stored-program computer concept, where instruction data and program data are stored in the same memory.  This design is still used in most computers produced today.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is the electronic circuit responsible for executing the instructions of a computer program.

It is sometimes referred to as the microprocessor or processor.

 

 

The CPU contains the ALU, CU and a variety of registers.

Registers

Registers are high speed storage areas in the CPU.  All data must be stored in a register before it can be processed.

MAR	Memory Address Register	Holds the memory location of data that needs to be accessed
MDR	Memory Data Register	Holds data that is being transferred to or from memory
AC	Accumulator	Where intermediate arithmetic and logic results are stored
PC	Program Counter	Contains the address of the next instruction to be executed
CIR	Current Instruction register	Contains the current instruction during processing

Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)

The ALU allows arithmetic (add, subtract etc) and logic (AND, OR, NOT etc) operations to be carried out.

Control Unit (CU)

The control unit controls the operation of the computer’s ALU, memory and input/output devices, telling them how to respond to the program instructions it has just read and interpreted from the memory unit.

The control unit also provides the timing and control signals required by other computer components.

Buses

Buses are the means by which data is transmitted from one part of a computer to another, connecting all major internal components to the CPU and memory.

A standard CPU system bus is comprised of a control bus,data bus and address bus. 

Address Bus	Carries the addresses of data (but not the data) between the processor and memory
Data Bus	Carries data between the processor, the memory unit and the input/output devices
Control Bus	Carries control signals/commands from the CPU (and status signals from other devices) in order to control and coordinate all the activities within the computer

Memory Unit

The memory unit consists of RAM, sometimes referred to as primary or main memory.  Unlike a hard drive (secondary memory), this memory is fast and also directly accessible by the CPU.

RAM is split into partitions.  Each partition consists of an address and its contents (both in binary form).

The address will uniquely identify every location in the memory.

Loading data from permanent memory (hard drive), into the faster and directly accessible temporary memory (RAM), allows the CPU to operate much quicker.

 

 

Digital Counter

A Digital Counter is obtained by arranging the flip-flops. These are the applications of flip-flops. Other than counting, these are used for measuring the frequency as well as time. These are used to increase the addresses in memory. The operation of these devices depends on the single clock applied.  These are made of flip-fops as basic elements. There are two states included in the flip-flops. The high state is represented by 1 and the low state by 0. The operation of the counter can be made possible by high state-driven flip-flops. Counters consist of modes that are represented by the number of countable states, for example a mod-8 counter. In this, the number of states countable is from 000 to 111 (that is 0 to 7). Hence eight countable states name the counter as a mod-8 counter.

What is Digital Counter?

Definition: The circuit is designed with digital logic to obtain information about the number of events that occurred. This type of digital logic device can be defined as a Counter. The design of counters can be achieved by following various steps.

1. The number of Flip-Flops based on the requirement.
2. Accordingly, the State diagrams/ Excitation Tables are drawn.
3. Further, the expressions are minimized using various techniques.
4. Finally, the logic diagram is designed.

The above steps are especially followed fro the design of the type of counter known as Synchronous Counters.

Types of Digital Counters

The interconnection of the flip-flops results in the classification of the counters.  Although the single clock signal applied to the counters. There is a difference among the operation based on a single cock applied to the flip-flops in the circuit or the signal applied to the main flip-flop.

The types of counters are:

1. Asynchronous Counters
2. Synchronous Counters

The asynchronous counters are also referred to as Ripple counters. The simplest in design among the other counters is the ripple counter. The least quantity of hardware is required for this counter. The flip of one stage reflects the flip in another stage in asynchronous counters. These counters are further described as ‘Serial Counters’.

But in the other type of counter called synchronous counters, each flip-flop in the circuit gets triggered with the same clock at the same time. This is possible by connecting each flip-flop clock line with a single clock. The operation occurred in such types of circuits will be in coordination or synchronization with all the flip-flops present.  Hence these are referred to as Synchronous Counters.

Based on the clock signal applied the counters are classified as synchronous and asynchronous counters. In the Asynchronous type, only the first flip-flop is provided by the main cock. the remaining flip-flops are powered with the output obtained in the previous stage of flip-flops. There is another category of counters referred to as Decade Counters. This counter is able to count the pulses for ten values. The counting is done from 0 to 9.  Even this counting can be extended to 15 states.

What is the difference between Synchronous and Asynchronous Counters?

Based on the connections and the clock applied to the flip-flops there are certain differences between Synchronous and Asynchronous counters.  Some of the differences are listed as follows:

 

Asynchronous Counters	Synchronous Counters
1. In this counter, the main clock is applied to the first flip-flop. Whereas the other flip-flops are provided with the clock from the output of previous stage flip-flops.	1. The arrangement of the flip-flops in this counter is driven by the same clock.
2. The clock is not simultaneous for all the flip-flops in the circuit.	2. The clock is simultaneously provided for all the flip-fops.
3. To the more number of states, the design of this counter is simple to implement.	3. In this counter, as the number of states is increasing the design tends to become complex.
4. The propagation delay is more as the counters are not in sync.	4. The propagation delay will be less in comparison to the asynchronous counters because of the sync among the flip-flops.

In comparison to the asynchronous counters, the operation will be fast in synchronous counters. The frequency required for operation in the synchronous counters is high. In terms of cost, it is low in asynchronous counters.

Digital Counter Applications

These counter circuits are the basic ones in the ‘Digital Electronics’. These counters possess various applications.

1. In the conversions from Analog to Digital, these counters are used.
2.   In the applications of Timers for example Washings machines where we set the time. These counters are used.
3. With the help of these counters, a ‘Digital Triangular Wave Generator’ can be designed.
4. In the application of ‘Digital Clock’ counters are used.
5. A practical example of these devices is seen in the malls, stadiums, or the auditoriums. In the above situations to keep the data on the number of persons. This can be made possible or it will become simple because of these counters

Digital registers

Introduction

A Flip-flop is a 1 bit memory cell which can be used for storing the digital data. To increase the storage capacity in terms of number of bits, you can use a group of flip-flops. Such a group of flip-flops is known as a Register. The n-bit register will consist of n number of flip-flop(s) and it is capable of storing an n-bit word.

The binary-data, in a register, can be transfered within itself from one flip-flop to another. A shift register is a type of register that allows such data transfers. Shift register has 4 modes of operations.

Shift Registers

A shift register is a piece of circuit that you will find inside a microprocessor. It is used to store and modify data. Now this is one of the simplest explanation I can give for a 2nd grade student.

But if you are some one who is studying about computers, this is just not sufficient. So I will have to explain it in a bit more detail. Alright? I will be getting a bit technical here. But it is how you will get a solid understanding of shift register. So you will have to bare it. Okay?

Sub-modules

The sub-modules of digital registers are:

1. Serial-in Serial-out
2. Serial-in Parallel-out
3. Parallel-in Serial-out
4. Parallel-in Parallel-out

Types Of Shift Registers

Based on the way the data is shifted, we have 5 different types of shift registers. They are:

• Left Shift Registers
• Right Shift Registers
• Bidirectional Shift Registers
• Circular Shift Registers &
• Linear Feedback Shift Registers

Now let explain what each of these registers work like:

Left Shift Registers

We have already talked about the left shift register. So I think you are familiar with it by now. If not, let me re-iterate. So in the case of a left shift register, the data is shifted to the left on each clock cycle.

Right Shift Registers

This is just like the left shift register. But here it is shifting the data to the right on each clock cycle.

Bidirectional Shift Registers

In the case of a bidirectional shift register, we can shift the data in both the directions. So you can shift the data either to it’s left or right!

Circular Shift Registers

In the case of a circular shift register, the last output is connected back as input. So your data will not be thrown out. Instead, will be shifted either left or right in a circular fashion!

Linear Feedback Shift Registers

In this type of shift register, the input of one flip flop will be linear output value of the previous flip flop.

Advantages & Disadvantages Of A Shift Register

It is now time to talk about the advantages & disadvantages of using a shift register. So what are they?

Advantages Of A Shift Register

• They are very fast to use.
• Very quick when you want to convert data from serial to parallel or vice versa. They are faster than normal serial to parallel converter circuits.
• They are very simple in design. So you can easily rig up a circuit to create a shift register.
• We can use them to encrypt or decrypt the data.
• We can use them to a delay signal.
• It is used in CDMA to generate Pseudo Noise Sequence Number.
• We can use them to track our data!

Disadvantages Of A Shift Register

While we could see that it has major advantages, shift register has one major disadvantage. That is:

• The strength of the output current coming from a shift register is not so strong.

Binary Arithmetic

Binary arithmetic is essential part of all the digital computers and many other digital system.

Binary Addition

Binary addition is the easiest of the processes to perform. As you'll see with the other operations below, it is essentially the same way you learnt to do addition of decimal numbers by hand (probably many years ago in your early school years). The process is actually easier with binary as we only have 2 digits to worry about, 0 and 1.

The process is that we line the two numbers up (one under the other), then, starting at the far right, add each column, recording the result and possible carry as we go.

Here are the possibilities:

• 0 + 0 = 0
• 1 + 0 = 1
• 1 + 1 = 2 which is 10 in binary which is 0 with a carry of 1
• 1 + 1 + 1 (carry) = 3 which is 11 in binary which is 1 with a carry of 1

The carry is involved whenever we have a result larger than 1 (which is the largest amount we may represent with a single binary digit).

Adding more than two numbers

It is possible to add more than 2 binary numbers in one go but it can soon get unweildly managing the carries. My suggestion is that you add the 1st and 2nd numbers together. Then take the result and add the third number to that. Then take the result and add the 4th etc. This way you may add as many binary numbers as you like and the complexity will never increase. It's a little more work but with practice you will get very quick at it.

Binary Multiplication

Binary multiplication is just about as easy as binary addition. Again it is the same process as we would do with decimal multiplication by hand. Again it is easier as binary only has 0 and 1.

We line the two numbers up (similar to addition). Then we multiply the entire top number by each individual digit of the bottom number. As we move across each digit we pad out the result with 0's to line it up. Finally we add all the results together.

Here are the possibilities:

• 0 * 0 = 0
• 1 * 0 = 0
• 1 * 1 = 1

As you have no doubt noticed, the process is fairly straight forward. If the binary digit on the second row we are multiplying by is a 1 then pad out accordingly and write out the top binary number. If the binary digit on the second row we are multiplying by is a 0 then we can just write out 0's.

Binary Subtraction

With binary subtraction we start to get a little more difficult (But not that difficult). Similar to binary addition, we will work through the numbers, column by column, starting on the far right. Instead of carrying forward however, we will borrow backwards (when necessary).

Here are the possibilities:

• 0 - 0 = 0
• 1 - 0 = 1
• 1 - 1 = 0
• 0 - 1 we can't do so we borrow 1 from the next column. This makes it 10 - 1 which is 1.

Another approach

The above example is the most convenient way for us to do binary subtraction by hand. There is another approach however and this is the way that computers subtract binary digits. This approach is called Two's Complement.

Let's say we want to compute 1000 ( 8 ) - 11 ( 3 ).

• Step 1: Write the equation out, padding the bottom number with 0's
  1000
  0011 -
• Step 2: Invert the digits of the lower number
  1000
  1100
• Step 3: Add 1 to the lower number
  1000
  1101
• Step 4: Add those two numbers together to get 10101
• Step 5: Remove the leading 1 (and any 0's after it). You are left with 101 ( 5 ).

Binary Division

Binary division is probably the most difficult of the binary equations. Fortunately, it is also made easier by the fact we only have to deal with 1's and 0's.

First off, some terminology. The number we are dividing by is the divisor. The number we are dividing into is the dividend.

The process is as follows:

• Step 1: Create the working portion of the dividend. Starting at the right, keep including digits until we have a number that the divisor will go into.
• Step 2: Work out how many times the divisor goes into the working portion (with binary this is easy as it will always be 1). Write this number above the line (in line with the far right digit of the working number).
• Step 3: Subtract the divisor from the working number. This becomes the beginning of the new working number.
• Step 4: Bring down digits from the dividend and add to the new working number until we have a new working number large enough for the divisor to go into.
• Step 5: Repeat steps 2 to 4 until we are at the end of the dividend.
• Step 6: The result of the final subtraction is the remainder.

 

Binary Codes

In the coding, when numbers, letters or words are represented by a specific group of symbols, it is said that the number, letter or word is being encoded. The group of symbols is called as a code. The digital data is represented, stored and transmitted as group of binary bits. This group is also called as binary code. The binary code is represented by the number as well as alphanumeric letter.

Advantages of Binary Code

Following is the list of advantages that binary code offers.

• Binary codes are suitable for the computer applications.

• Binary codes are suitable for the digital communications.

• Binary codes make the analysis and designing of digital circuits if we use the binary codes.

• Since only 0 & 1 are being used, implementation becomes easy.

Classification of binary codes

The codes are broadly categorized into following four categories.

• Weighted Codes
• Non-Weighted Codes
• Binary Coded Decimal Code
• Alphanumeric Codes
• Error Detecting Codes
• Error Correcting Codes

Weighted Codes

Weighted binary codes are those binary codes which obey the positional weight principle. Each position of the number represents a specific weight. Several systems of the codes are used to express the decimal digits 0 through 9. In these codes each decimal digit is represented by a group of four bits.

Non-Weighted Codes

In this type of binary codes, the positional weights are not assigned. The examples of non-weighted codes are Excess-3 code and Gray code.

Excess-3 code

The Excess-3 code is also called as XS-3 code. It is non-weighted code used to express decimal numbers. The Excess-3 code words are derived from the 8421 BCD code words adding (0011)₂ or (3)10 to each code word in 8421. The excess-3 codes are obtained as follows −

Gray Code

It is the non-weighted code and it is not arithmetic codes. That means there are no specific weights assigned to the bit position. It has a very special feature that, only one bit will change each time the decimal number is incremented as shown in fig. As only one bit changes at a time, the gray code is called as a unit distance code. The gray code is a cyclic code. Gray code cannot be used for arithmetic operation.

Application of Gray code

• Gray code is popularly used in the shaft position encoders.

• A shaft position encoder produces a code word which represents the angular position of the shaft.

Binary Coded Decimal (BCD) code

In this code each decimal digit is represented by a 4-bit binary number. BCD is a way to express each of the decimal digits with a binary code. In the BCD, with four bits we can represent sixteen numbers (0000 to 1111). But in BCD code only first ten of these are used (0000 to 1001). The remaining six code combinations i.e. 1010 to 1111 are invalid in BCD.

Advantages of BCD Codes

• It is very similar to decimal system.
• We need to remember binary equivalent of decimal numbers 0 to 9 only.

Disadvantages of BCD Codes

• The addition and subtraction of BCD have different rules.

• The BCD arithmetic is little more complicated.

• BCD needs more number of bits than binary to represent the decimal number. So BCD is less efficient than binary.

Alphanumeric codes

A binary digit or bit can represent only two symbols as it has only two states '0' or '1'. But this is not enough for communication between two computers because there we need many more symbols for communication. These symbols are required to represent 26 alphabets with capital and small letters, numbers from 0 to 9, punctuation marks and other symbols.

The alphanumeric codes are the codes that represent numbers and alphabetic characters. Mostly such codes also represent other characters such as symbol and various instructions necessary for conveying information. An alphanumeric code should at least represent 10 digits and 26 letters of alphabet i.e. total 36 items. The following three alphanumeric codes are very commonly used for the data representation.

• American Standard Code for Information Interchange (ASCII).
• Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code (EBCDIC).
• Five bit Baudot Code.

ASCII code is a 7-bit code whereas EBCDIC is an 8-bit code. ASCII code is more commonly used worldwide while EBCDIC is used primarily in large IBM computers.

Error Codes

There are binary code techniques available to detect and correct data during data transmission.

Error Code	Description
Error Detection and Error Correction	Error detection and correction code technique

Computer System Organization

A digital computer consists of an interconnected system of processors, memories, and input/output devices. Processors, memories, and input/output are key concepts and will be present at every level, so we will start to study computer architecture by looking at all three in turn.

PROCESSORS

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the ‘‘brain’’ of the computer.

A central processing unit (CPU) is the electronic circuitry within a computer that carries out the instructions  of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetic, logical, control and input/output (I/O) operations specified by the instructions. The computer industry has used the term “central processing unit” at least since the early 1960s.Traditionally, the term “CPU” refers to a processor, more specifically to its processing unit and control unit (CU), distinguishing these core elements of a computer from external components such as main memory and I/O circuitry.

The CPU is composed of several distinct parts. The control unit is responsible for fetching instructions from the main memory and determining their type. The arithmetic logic unit performs operations such as addition and Boolean AND needed to carry out the instructions.

The CPU also contains a small, high-speed memory used to store temporary results and certain control information. This memory is made up of a number of registers, each of which has a certain size and function. Usually, all the registers have the same size. Each register can hold one number, up to some maximum determined by the size of the register. Registers can be read and written at high speed since they are internal to the CPU. The most important register is the Program Counter (PC), which points to the next instruction to be fetched for execution. ( The name ‘‘program counter’’ is somewhat misleading because it has nothing to do with counting anything, but the term is universally used. Also important is the Instruction Register (IR), which holds the instruction currently being executed. ( Most computers have numerous other registers as well, some of the general-purpose as well as some for specific purposes.

What is the,,bus,,?

In computer architecture, a bus is a communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer, or between computers. This expression covers all related hardware components (wire, optical fiber, etc.) and software, including communication protocols.

Early computer buses were parallel electrical wires with multiple hardware connections, but the term is now used for any physical arrangement that provides the same logical function as a parallel electrical bus. Modern computer buses can use both parallel and bit-serial connections and can be wired in either a multi-drop(electrical parallel) or daisy chain topology, or connected by switched hubs, as in the case of USB.

CPU Organization

• A system bus is a link that connects every segment of a system to the central storage and carries out the data transfer in them.
• It is a pathway composed of cables and connectors which is used to carry data between a computer microprocessor and the main memory.
• It provides a communication path for the data and control signals moving between the major components of the computer system.

The types of system buses are

1. Data

• These are the pieces of information that are to be transferred.
• The data is transferred between peripherals, memory and the CPU. The data bus can be a very busy pathway.

2. Address

• It stores information about where the data is to be transferred.
• The components pass memory addresses to one another over the address bus.

3. Control

• These are the set of instructions regarding what to do with the data.
• It is used to send out signals to coordinate and manage the activities of the motherboard components.

Characteristics of a System Bus

1. Bus Width

• The size of a bus also known as its width.
• It determines how much data can be transferred at a time.
• This refers to the amount of information that can be transferred once.

2. Bus Speed

• This refers to the no. of bits or bytes the bus can send per unit time.
• It is also defined by its frequency. Frequency means that the number of data packets sent or received per second. Each time that data is sent or received is called a cycle.

The system bus combines the functions of the three main buses, namely Control Bus, Address Bus, Data Bus. The control bus carries the control, timing and coordination signals to manage the various functions across the system. The address bus is used to specify memory locations for the data being transferred.

The data bus, which is a bidirectional path. It carries the actual data between the processor (CPU), the memory and the peripherals (Input and Output). The system bus architecture varies from system to system and can be specific to a particular computer design. The other common characteristics of system buses are based on the primary role, connecting devices internally or externally, etc.

Internal Bus

• It is also known as an internal data bus, a memory bus, a system bus or Front-Side-Bus.
• It connects all the internal components of a computer, such as CPU and memory, to the motherboard.
• Internal data buses are also referred to as a local bus because they are intended to connect to local devices.
• This bus is quick and independent of the rest of the computer operations.

External Bus

• It is also known as an expansion bus.
• It is made up of the electronic pathways that connect the different external devices, such as a printer, etc.

Cache Function

A CPU cache is a hardware cache used by the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer to reduce the average cost (time or energy) to access data from the main memory. A cache is a smaller, faster memory, closer to a processor core, which stores copies of the data from frequently used main memory locations. Most CPUs have different independent caches, including instruction and data caches, where the data cache is usually organized as a hierarchy of more cache levels (L1, L2, etc.).

All modern (fast) CPUs (with few specialized exceptions) have multiple levels of CPU caches. The first CPUs that used a cache had only one level of cache; unlike later level 1 caches, it was not split into L1d (for data) and L1i (for instructions). Almost all current CPUs with caches have a split L1 cache. They also have L2 caches and, for larger processors, L3 caches as well. The L2 cache is usually not split and acts as a common repository for the already split L1 cache. Every core of a multi-core processor has a dedicated L2 cache and is usually not shared between the cores. The L3 cache, and higher-level caches, are shared between the cores and are not split. An L4 cache is currently uncommon and is generally on dynamic random access memory (DRAM), rather than on static random access memory (SRAM), on a separate die or chip. That was also the case historically with L1, while bigger chips have allowed integration of it and generally all cache levels, with the possible exception of the last level. Each extra level of cache tends to be bigger and be optimized differently.

Other types of caches exist (that are not counted towards the “cache size” of the most important caches mentioned above), such as the translation look aside buffer (TLB) that is part of the memory management unit (MMU) that most CPUs have.

Caches are generally sized in powers of two: 4, 8, 16 etc. KiB or MiB(for larger non-L1) sizes, although the IBM z13has a 96 KiB L1 instruction cache.

Instruction Execution Cycle

• This is a process of getting the instruction from the memory, decoding it to the machine language and executing it. So, three basic steps of the cycle are:

Fetch the instruction.
Decode it.
Execute.

• The whole process of fetching the instructions from the memory, decoding it to the machine language and executing it, is termed as an instruction cycle.

PRIMARY MEMORY

The memory is that part of the computer where programs and data are stored. Some computer scientists (especially British ones) use the term store or storage rather than memory, although more and more, the term ‘‘storage’’ is used to refer to disk storage. Without a memory from which the processors can read and write information, there would be no stored-program digital computers.

Bits

The basic unit of memory is the binary digit, called a bit. A bit may contain a 0 or a 1. It is the simplest possible unit. (A device capable of storing only zeros could hardly form the basis of a memory system; at least two values are needed.) People often say that computers use binary arithmetic because it is ‘‘efficient.’’ What they mean (although they rarely realize it) is that digital information can be stored by distinguishing between different values of some continuous physical quantity, such as voltage or current. The more values that must be distinguished, the less separation between adjacent values, and the less reliable the memory. The binary number system requires only two values to be distinguished. Consequently, it is the most reliable method for encoding digital information.

Memory Addresses

In computing, a memory address is a reference to a specific memory location used at various levels by software and hardware. Memory addresses are fixed-length sequences of digits conventionally displayed and manipulated as unsigned integers.Such numerical semantic bases itself upon features of CPU (such as the instruction pointer and incremental address registers), as well upon the use of the memory like an array endorsed by various programming languages.