Which pathway carries memory addresses between the CPU and main memory?

Which pathway carries memory addresses between the CPU and main memory?

• A. Data bus
• B. System bus
• C. Address bus
• D. Control bus

Answer: (C)

Memory addresses are sent from the CPU to memory over the address bus. This set of lines conveys the specific location in RAM where the CPU wants to read or write data. The width of the address bus determines how much memory can be addressed (more lines = more addressable locations). In contrast, the data bus carries the actual data being transferred, and the control bus carries signals that coordinate the operation (like read or write). The system bus is a broader term that can refer to the collection of these buses, but it’s the address bus that uniquely carries the memory location information.

Memory addresses are sent from the CPU to memory over the address bus. This set of lines conveys the specific location in RAM where the CPU wants to read or write data. The width of the address bus determines how much memory can be addressed (more lines = more addressable locations). In contrast, the data bus carries the actual data being transferred, and the control bus carries signals that coordinate the operation (like read or write). The system bus is a broader term that can refer to the collection of these buses, but it’s the address bus that uniquely carries the memory location information.