ALU 101 Data Representation and Number Systems 2

Question 1

Which number system uses base 16 and is commonly used to represent ALU register values?

Accepted Answer

Hexadecimal

Answer

Hexadecimal (base 16) compactly represents 4-bit groups, making it natural for expressing byte and word values in registers.

Question 2

What problem does the Gray code solve in ALU-related digital counter circuits?

Accepted Answer

Multiple bit transitions causing glitches when incrementing

Answer

Gray code sequences change only one bit at a time between consecutive values, preventing transient invalid states during transitions.

Question 3

In IEEE 754 single-precision floating point, how many bits are allocated to the exponent field?

Accepted Answer

8

Answer

IEEE 754 single-precision uses 1 sign bit, 8 exponent bits, and 23 mantissa bits, totaling 32 bits.

Question 4

What is the sign-magnitude representation of -13 in 8 bits?

Accepted Answer

10001101

Answer

In sign-magnitude, the MSB is the sign bit (1 for negative) and the remaining bits are the magnitude: 0001101 = 13, so -13 = 10001101.

Question 5

Converting the octal number 75 to binary yields which result?

Accepted Answer

111 101

Answer

Each octal digit maps to 3 binary bits: 7 = 111 and 5 = 101, giving 111101.

ALU 101 - Arithmetic Logic Unit 101 Exam Practice Test