Why learn computer organization?

Why learn computer organization? (forthcoming)

• How this course is being organized (forthcoming)

Being a Better Student

• Active learning in the classroom (3/12/03)
• How to read a book (4/05/03)
• The "web" and geek web sites (3/16/03)
• Thoughts on Programming (3/16/03)
• Virtual Bookshelf: What's on Your Shelf? (3/16/03)
• Student Manifesto: What I'm Owed (4/05/03)
• Big Ideas in Computer Science NEW (6/18/03)
• Teaching and Learning: Explaining To Yourself
• Attention to Detail

Baby Computer Organization

• Quick overview of a computer system REVISED (6/24/03) (6/9/03)
• Abstaction and Computer Organization (forthcoming)
• What's a Wire (6/9/03)
• What's a Bus? (3/17/03) (6/9/03)
• What's a Clock? (4/12/03)
• What's a Register? (4/12/03)
• What's a Tri-State Buffer? NEW (7/1/03)
• Black Boxes
• Simple Model of Memory (3/30/03)
• What's in Your CPU? (forthcoming)
• What's an ISA? (3/17/03)
• Quick overview of MIPS architecture (forthcoming)
• A Toy MIPS program (forthcoming)
• Fetch, Execute, Decode UPDATED, 6 steps (7/1/03) (3/16/03)

Baby Combinational Circuits

• Overview of Baby Combinational Circuits
• Baby MUX
• Baby DeMUX
• Baby Encoder
• Baby Decoder

Data Representation/Number Conversion

• Overview of Data Representation
• Representation Vs. Value REVISED (2/7/04) [REVISED (6/17/03),(7/1/03)] (2/24/03)
• Information = Bits + Context NEW (6/17/03)
• Overview of Converting Integer Representations
• Converting from Base K to Base 10 (2/8/03)
• Converting from Base 10 to Base K (2/9/03)
• Converting Fractions from Base 10 to Base K (2/9/03)
• Bits, Bytes, and Nybbles (6/2/03) (was (2/9/03))
• Big and Little Endian (2/9/03) (3/10/03)
• Word Alignment (2/22/03)
• Integer Representations
  • Unsigned Binary (2/24/03)
  • Overview of Signed Integers (2/24/03)
  • Signed Integers: Signed Magnitude (2/24/03)
  • Signed Integers: One's Complement (2/24/03)
  • Signed Integers: Two's Complement [REVISED (2/7/04)] (2/24/03)
  • Signed Integers: Excess/Bias Representation (2/24/03) (3/15/03)
  • Sign Extension (3/5/03)
  • Overflow (3/5/03)
  • Rob's View of Right-Shifting in 2C (3/16/03)
• Fixed Point Representation (forthcoming)
• IEEE 754: Floating Point (3/8/03)
• Underflow (3/16/03)
• Character Representation: ASCII, EBCDIC, and Unicode (3/6/03)
• The dual nature of char (3/15/03)

Low-Level C Operators and More

• Writing numbers in hex and octal in C 
• Bitwise Operators 
• The "magic" of XOR 
• Bitshift Operators 
• Code Example: Is a Bit i Set? 
• Code Example: Is Any Bit Set Within a Range? 
• Code Example: How to Set a Bit 
• Ascii vs Binary Files 
• Casting 
• Pointer Arithmetic 

Binary Arithmetic

• Adding Unsigned Numbers 
• Adding Two's Complement Numbers
• Creating a One Byte Floating Point Number 
• Adding Floating Point Numbers 
• Multiplying Floating Point Numbers

MIPS ISA Programming

• Introduction to MIPS 
• Instructions
  • Instruction Format overview 
  • add, sub 
  • addi 
  • MIPS Bitwise instructions 
  • MIPS Bitshift instructions (sll, sllv, slr, slrv) 
  • load and store 
  • Pseudoinstructions 
  • Conditional and Unconditional Jumps 
  • Pseudoinstructions and Branches 
  • How to Load a 32 bit Immediate 
  • Integer Multiplication and Division 
  • Summary of Instruction Encoding 
  • Summary of Addressing Modes in MIPS
• Translating C-code to MIPS
  • Why Translate C to MIPS Assembly? 
  • Implementing Conditional Statements (
  • Implementing Loops 
  • Understanding 1D Arrays (forthcoming)
  • Understanding 2D and Higher Dimensional Arrays (forthcoming)
  • Subroutines in MIPS
    • Alternate Register Names 
    • Understanding the Stack 
    • Implementing Subroutines/Functions in MIPS 
    • Case Study: Simple Function 
    • Data and Text Segments
    • Case Study: Arrays 
    • Case Study: Recursive Functions
  • How a MIPS Assembler Handles Labels (forthcoming)
  • MIPS View of Memory (forthcoming)

Building a Computer

• Fetch, Execute, Decode in Detail (forthcoming)
• Register File as a Black Box 
• Implementing a Register File 
• ALU 
• Executing R-type instructions (forthcoming)
• Executing I-type instructions (forthcoming)
• Executing J-type instructions (forthcoming)
• Control Units (forthcoming)

Combinational Logic

• Boolean Functions/Truth Tables 
• Basic Logic Gates
• Implementing Boolean Functions 
• Functional Completeness 
• Black Boxes 
• Multiplexers/Demultiplexers 
• Half Adders/Full Adders/Ripple Carry Adders 
• MUX trick: Implemeting Truth Tables 
• ROM trick: Implemeting Truth Tables with Multiple Outputs
• Overflow Detection for Adders 
• Fast Addition: Carry Lookahead Adders 
• Implementing a 1-bit ALU 
• Encoders/Decoders 
• Decoder/Encoder Trick: Implementing Permutations, etc. 
• MUX Case Studies
  • Case Study: Implementing a 5-1 MUX 
  • Case Study: Implementing a 8-1 MUX 
  • Thoughts on Learning By Example 
• Summary of Output Equations for Common Combinational Logic Circuits
• Shifters/Circular Shifters (forthcoming)
• Programmable Logic Array (PLA) 

Sequential Logic

• What is State?
• Difference between Combinational and Sequential Logic 
• Introduction to Flip Flops: D and T 
• Parallel Load Registers 
• Asynchronous Counters 
• Finite State Machines with Output (Mealy and Moore Machines) 
• Excitation Tables for D and T Flip Flops 
• Implementing Mealy and Moore Machines 
• Why Finite State Machines?
• Case Study: Three State Synchronous Counters 
• Equivalence of D and T flip flops 

Memory

• Interleaved Memory 
• Cache
  • Page and Offset (forthcoming)
  • Introduction to Caches 
  • Fully Associative Caches
  • Direct Mapped Caches 
  • Set Associative Caches 
  • Avoiding Pitfall: Addresses vs. Slots
• Direct Memory Access (DMA) 
• Virtual Memory 

I/O

• Memory Mapped I/O 
• External Interrupts 
• Polling 

Putting It All Together

• Roadmap to a Computer
• Combinational Logic and Delay