An engineer is comparing processor architectures for a new embedded control system.
Which of the following correctly identifies a defining characteristic or consequence of the Von Neumann architecture compared to the Harvard architecture?
It uses a single shared bus system for both instructions and data, meaning an instruction fetch and a data read/write operation cannot occur simultaneously.
It physically separates the storage and signal pathways for instructions and data, allowing the CPU to fetch an instruction and read/write data at the same time.
It requires program instructions to be permanently written to read-only memory (ROM), while program data is restricted to random-access memory (RAM).
It utilizes separate Memory Address Registers (MAR) for instructions and data to prevent collisions on the shared address bus.
Systems architecture Questions
Practise AQA GCSE Computer Science Systems architecture with exam-style questions for GCSE Computer Science. 42 questions, matched to the AQA GCSE Computer Science (8525) specification and written in Paper 1 and Paper 2 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.