1.7 If a 500 MHz machine takes one clock cycle to fetch and execute an instruction, then what is the instruction execution rate of the machine?

1.8 How many instructions could the above machine execute in one minute?

1.9 Let's suppose we have a 40-year-old computer that has an instruction execution rate of one thousand instructions per second. How long would it take in days, hours, and minutes to execute the same number of instructions you derived for the 500 MHz machine?

Part 1.7 : The number of instructions in a second are 500 Million instructions

Part 1.8 : The number of instructions in a minute are 30 Billion instructions

Part 1.9 : The number of years required are as 57 years.

Explanation:

Part 1.7

500MHz means there are 500 million clock cycles per second

so the execution rate is 500 Million instructions per second

The number of instructions in a second are 500 Million instructions

Part 1.8

As 1 minute = 60 seconds

so 60 * 500 Million per second = 30 Billion instructions!

The number of instructions in a minute are 30 Billion instructions

Part 1.9

The execution rate is given as 1000 instructions per second thus

30 Billion instructions / 1000 = 30 million minutes

There are 60 minutes per hr

so 30 million minutes is 500,000 hrs

As there are 24 hrs per day

so 500,000 / 24 = 20833 days = about 57 years

The number of years required are as 57 years.