Computer Organization

Computer Science 210

Spring, 2012

Course Information

Grading Procedures

Your grade will be based on homework, programs, and three exams.

Point breakdown (tentative):
Programs/Homework 180
Midterm Exam (March 23)
100
Final Exam (May 17 - 7 pm)
150
Total 430

Policies

Please hand in assignments on time and working.  Paper-and-pencil homework assignments must be handed in by the due date; late homeworks will not be accepted.  For hands-on programming assignments, late programs will be assessed a penalty of up to 10% per day.

All late assignments must be submitted by the end of the reading period.

Regular class attendance and participation is expected of everyone in the class.

The Honor Code

The Honor Code has a straightforward application to this class.  On all of the exams you are responsible for your own work; you may neither give nor receive aid during the course of the exam.  If someone takes an exam at a different time than the rest of the class there may be no communication concerning the exam between that person and anyone else in the class, not even about whether the exam was easy or difficult.  The atmosphere is somewhat more relaxed for the homework and programming assignments.  You may discuss the problems with anyone else in the class, but you may not share your code with anyone.  You must design and write your own solutions.


Course outline
  1. Introduction to Computer Organization. Basic computer components.  Virtual Machines. (chapters 1, 2)
  2. Data representation.  (appendices A and B)
  3. Digital logic.  (chapter 3)
  4. Computer system design.  Buses and interfacing.  (chapter 3)
  5. Assembly language programming.  The MIPS architecture.
  6. CPU design.  Microprogramming.  (chapter 4)
  7. Instruction set architectures.  (chapter 5)