ITPEC IP April 2024 Question 10
Which of the following is the unique value that is sequentially assigned to a memory location in order to identify the location of instructions or data stored in the main memory of a computer?
Explanation
Address — the number that identifies each location in main memory, assigned in sequence.
Main memory is a long row of storage locations, usually one byte each, numbered 0, 1, 2 and so on. That number is the location's address. To read or write an instruction or a data item, the CPU specifies its address; the program counter, for example, holds the address of the next instruction to execute.
Answer (a)
Why not others:
- •(b) Counter — a register or variable that counts; the program counter holds an address, but the counter is not the number assigned to a location
- •(c) Index — a position within an array or table, or an offset added to a base address to calculate an address; it is relative, not a unique number for each location
- •(d) Pointer — a variable that stores an address so that data can be reached through it; it holds an address rather than being the number assigned to the location
Key rule: Every memory location has a fixed address; pointers, index registers and the program counter are ways of holding or calculating addresses.
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