Year 10 - Computing
Computer specifications
Computer Systems
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils will discover the difference between general purpose and embedded systems. They will examine computer architecture and the components that make up a processor. Pupils will recognise the need for storage and be able to select a suitable storage device for a given purpose.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how clock speed, cache size and number of cores affect the performance of a device.
Key Notes
- Clock speed is measured in gigahertz; 1 gigahertz = 1 billion cycles per second.
- Increasing the clock speed can increase performance but does depend on other components working that fast too.
- Increasing cache size will speed up the device.
- Increasing cores does not always increase performance.
Vocabulary To Learn
- clock speed: measured in gigahertz, this defines thenumber of FE cycles the CPU can complete per second
- cache size: onboard memory of the CPU, measured in megabytes
- core: mini processor inside the CPU carrying out instructions independently
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Increasing cores and clock speed improves performance.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Describe the system or process from this lesson in clear steps.
Clock speed is measured in gigahertz; 1 gigahertz = 1 billion cycles per second. Increasing the clock speed can increase performance but does depend on other components working that fast too.
2. Define this computing term and give one practical example. 'clock speed'
measured in gigahertz, this defines thenumber of FE cycles the CPU can complete per second. Add one real device or system example to prove understanding.
3. Correct this common computing misconception.
Mistake: Increasing cores and clock speed improves performance. Correction: It can improve performance but not always, as other hardware components may not be able to work that way.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 10 Computing guide library.