Question

If a branch instruction (such as beq) is located at address 0x0042829 , what is the largest target address that we can reach using this branch instruction? Your answer should be exactly 8 hex digits.

Answer 1

A branch instruction is used in computer programming to transfer control based on a comparison. The largest target address that can be reached using this branch instruction located at address 0x0042829 is 0x004A7C8.

Step-by-step explanation:

A branch instruction, such as a beq instruction, is a type of instruction used in computer programming to transfer control to a different part of a program based on the result of a comparison.

The target address of the branch instruction determines where the program will jump to if the condition specified in the instruction is true. In this case, we are given that the branch instruction is located at address 0x0042829 and we need to find the largest target address that can be reached using this branch instruction.

The branch instruction typically contains a signed 16-bit offset field, which allows for a jump of up to ±32767 bytes from the current address. To calculate the target address, we add the offset to the address of the branch instruction. In hexadecimal notation, an 8-digit value is used to represent addresses.

Therefore, the largest target address that can be reached using this branch instruction is 0x0042829 + 0x7FFF = 0x004A7C8.