Final answer:
The equation '(Instructions per cycle) × (cycles per second)' is used to calculate the throughput, which is the total amount of work a system can process in a unit of time, measured in instructions per second.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation (Instructions per cycle) × (cycles per second) calculates the throughput, which is option C. Throughput characterizes the total amount of work a system can process in a given amount of time. In the context of computing, it refers to how many instructions a processor can execute per second. The term cycles per second is measured in Hertz (Hz) and reflects the clock speed of a processor. For instance, if a processor executes 3 cycles per second (3 Hz), this is its clock speed, and if each cycle involves processing one instruction, then its throughput would be 3 instructions per second.
Period, often measured in milliseconds (ms), is the inverse of frequency (1/T = f) and refers to the time it takes for one cycle to occur. For example, a frequency of 264 Hz (which means 264 cycles per second) corresponds to a period of approximately 3.79 ms per cycle.