Fetch! Execute! Rest?

Madalyn Muncy

A computer is a very intricate machine. It an operating system that runs programs stored in its memory. To retrieve instructions from the memory in order to run the program, the computer fetches the instruction, then decodes the bit pattern in the instruction register and lastly performs the action required by the instruction in the instruction register. This algorithm is repeated over and over at a very fast pace.

It is a bit of a stretch, but I think the fetch-execute cycle operates kind of like a college student. We receive instructions from our professors, textbooks and prior knowledge. Then we decode this information in our minds by thinking about how it all fits together or trying to understand a concept such as calculus. We decode by practicing; writing, reading, mathematics, all of these must be practiced over and over again until we get it right. Lastly, we are asked to execute what we have learned. So we take exams, write final papers and produce projects showcasing the growth we were to experience over the course of the cycle. I could even make the case that the bus that connects a computer's architectural parts together is personified in our communication between our professors, peers and others who impact the learning fetch-execute process.

The college student's version of the cycle is long. We probably experience this cycle on a much smaller scale on a daily basis; however, it all plays into this larger attempt to gain knowledge from our college experience. A computer never slows down, and it seems the life of a college student doesn't either. We keep going and going; the only way to stop is to ignore the fetching and decoding and executing, which ultimately results in getting behind and thus, frustration. A college student's success can depend on this cycle.