| Instructor: Peter Breznay | Location: MAC 236 | ||
| Office Hours: MW 2:30-3:30 pm TR 2:00-3:00 pm | Office: CH C324 | ||
| and by appointment | Phone: 465-2170 | ||
Texts:
William Stallings. Computer Organization and Architecture, (8th edition) Prentice Hall 2010
On Reserve:
Patterson & Hennessey. Computer Organization and Design, McGraw-Hill 2001
| Computing History: | Difference Engine and all |
| Topic | Learning Outcome |
|---|---|
| 1 | The fundamental theory behind the Von Neumann design: a design on which all digital computers from the 1940s to current ones. |
| 2 | Design principles of hardware components such as buses, memory chips, caches, and central processor (CPUs). |
| 3 | History of computer evolution (How can we know where we are going if we don’t know where we’ve been). |
| 4 | Machine level logic responsible for the execution of all programs regardless of language in which they are written. |
| 5 | The similarities and differences among different computer architectures. |
| 6 | How fundamental logic circuits are designed (Did you know that much of the theory behind computer circuits was developed in the late 1800s?). |
| 7 | Different CPU designs including RISC, CISC, pipelined, vector, and superscalar processors. |
| 8 | Measures of performance. Why common measurements are often misleading. |
| 8 | Internal representation of information and problems that can occur from inaccurate representation. |
| 10 | Topics beyond the above as time permits. |