CPUs and architecture

Which correctly describes little-endian byte order?

  1. AData is compressed before being stored
  2. BMulti-byte data is stored starting with the least significant byte at the lowest address
  3. CMulti-byte data is stored starting with the most significant byte at the lowest address
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Answer: B. Multi-byte data is stored starting with the least significant byte at the lowest address

In little-endian order, the 4-byte value 0x12345678 is stored as 78, 56, 34, 12 from the lowest address upward. It is used by x86 and ARM (in its usual configuration), among others. Storing the most significant byte first is big-endian, used in network protocols and elsewhere.

  • A. Endianness concerns storage order, not compression.
  • B. Correct. The least significant byte goes at the lowest address.
  • C. Storing the most significant byte first is big-endian.
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More CPUs and architecture questions

  1. Which technique lets one CPU core process instructions from multiple threads at the same time to make better use of the core's execution units?
  2. In microcontrollers and similar devices, which scheme assigns peripheral registers to the same address space as memory and operates them with ordinary memory read/write instructions?
  3. What is the role of the watchdog timer built into microcontrollers?
  4. When a program calls a subroutine (function), which area is generally used to temporarily save the return address and similar information?
  5. Which correctly lists the "three Cs" classification of cache misses?