💡 Activity — Solutions

1️⃣ Convert each: 8 KB, 2 MB, 3 GB into bytes (use 1 KB = 1,024 bytes).

• 8 KB = 8 × 1,024 = 8,192 bytes
• 2 MB = 2 × 1,024 × 1,024 = 2,097,152 bytes
• 3 GB = 3 × 1,024³ = 3,221,225,472 bytes

2️⃣ Order these by fastest access: RAM, Registers, SSD, L1 Cache. Explain why.

• Registers → L1 Cache → RAM → SSD (closest to farthest from CPU → fastest to slowest).

3️⃣ Your laptop has 8 GB RAM and a 64-bit CPU, but a 32-bit OS installed. List two limitations you’ll face.

• You can’t fully use > 4 GB RAM; you can run 32-bit apps only (no 64-bit software benefits).

4️⃣ A CPU runs at 3.6 GHz. How many cycles per second is that? What happens during each cycle (at a high level)?

• 3.6 GHz = 3.6 billion cycles/sec; during each cycle, the CPU’s transistors switch, moving/processing data per the current instruction.