Covers A1.1.9 (cloud computing services) and A1.1.6 (pipelining and multi-core processing). Note: pipelining and multi-core processing (A1.1.6) are HL only and are marked (HL) in this unit; cloud computing (A1.1.9) is core for both SL and HL.
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Pipelining (HL)
Pipelining lets a processor work on several instructions at once by splitting execution into stages such as fetch, decode, execute and writeback.
It works like doing laundry: while one load is drying you can start washing the next, so the stages overlap instead of each waiting for the last to finish.
This overlap improves throughput, so once the pipeline is full a new instruction can finish every cycle rather than after a whole fetch-decode-execute sequence.
Pipelining does not make a single instruction faster; it increases how many instructions complete over a given time.
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1. What is the main benefit of pipelining in a processor?
2. In a multi-core processor, which resource is typically shared by all cores rather than being private to each core?
3. A school wants ready-to-use email and document software with no installation or maintenance, accessed through a web browser. Which cloud service model is this?
4. Which statement correctly describes the difference between PaaS and IaaS?
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