CS 320 COURSE INFORMATION

Course: CS 320, Principles of Computer Organization, 3 credits (Spring '04).

Class time: Mon. 1:00 p.m. - 2:20 pm & Thu. 4:00 p.m. - 5:20 pm.

Class room: Dennis 231.

Instructor: David Q. Liu ((765)973-2131, dliu@cs.earlham.edu).

Instructor's Office: Dennis 229.

Office Hours: Mon. 10:00 am - 1:00 pm, Thu. 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm and by appt.

Homework

Prerequisite: Algorithms and Data Structures (CS 310), and Programming Language and Experience or permission of instructor.

Grading: homework assignments (30%), quizzes (20%), participation 10%, mid-term exam (20%), final exam (20%).

Course Description: An introduction to the structure and function of computing machines. The concept that computing machines consist of layers of virtual machines is used as an organizing principle. Topics include information representation, automata, assembly language programming, register machines, microprogramming, conventional machines, and language processors.

The topics to be covered:

  1. Introduction: structure computer organization
  2. computer system organiztion: processors, primary memory,secondary memory,input/output
  3. digital logical level: gates, boolean algebra, digital logic circuits, memory, cpu chips and buses.
  4. microarchitecture level: microinstruction design, control, and examples.
  5. ISA leavel (Instruction set architecture level): data types, instruction format, addressing, instruction types, flow of control.
  6. OSM (Operating system machines) level: virtual memory, virtual I/O instructions, and examples
  7. Parallel computer architectures

Textbooks

Homework Assignments: There will be several homework assignments in this class which will, in general, each have equal weightage. Some homeworks will include programming, which may have more weightage.

Exams:   Mid-term Exam, the middle week, Final Exam, Final week. Both examinations will be take-home exams.

Academic Integrity: All submitted work must be your own contribution and nobody else's! Collaboration in homework and exams are not allowed. Please See ACM's Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct for standards of ethical conduct.

Add and Drop class: please look at the Earlham Academic Calendar for the deadline of adding and dropping class.

Questions? Please send e-mail to me, dliu@cs.earlham.edu.

Note: This page can be accessed on the World Wide Web at http://www.cs.earlham.edu/~dliu/classes/cs320/