Practice Branching And Pipelining (4.1.2) - Branches and Limits to Pipelining

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6 sample questions

Question 1.
What is a branch instruction?
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Think about if statements and loops.
Question 2.
Define a control hazard.
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It relates to instruction fetching delays.
3Question 3.
What is the main purpose of branch instructions?
- To change program flow
- To store data
- To perform arithmetic
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Think of loops and conditional statements.
4Question 4.
True or False: Control hazards can occur when the pipeline waits for branch outcomes.
- True
- False
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Reflect on the delays linked to branches.
Question 5.
Analyze how branch prediction affects the throughput of a two-way superscalar processor with deep pipelining under varying workloads.
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Consider how predictions impact instruction rates.
Question 6.
Evaluate the trade-offs between using delay slots and modern dynamic prediction mechanisms in pipelined architectures.
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Think about the advantages each method has in practice.

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