Midterm Review

COSC 3332 Computer Organization and Architecture

Overview

  • Course Title: COSC 3332 Computer Organization and Architecture
  • Department: Computer Science
  • Instructor: Dr. Qi Zhu

Midterm Test Details

  • Date: 3/13/26 12:01 am - 3/15/26 11:59 pm
  • Length: Any 150 minutes
  • Format: Open book, open notes, online test
  • Instructions: No copying and no talking; recommend bringing a calculator
Midterm Exam Content Breakdown (Total: 104 points, 4 extra)

  • Part 1: True or False

    • Total Questions: 10
    • Points Each: 2
    • Total Points: 20

  • Part 2: Multiple Choice

    • Total Questions: 25
    • Points Each: 2
    • Total Points: 50

  • Part 3: Matching Questions

    • Points: 10

  • Part 4: Simple Questions

    • Points: 24

  • Additional Topics:

    • Truth Table/Boolean Algebra/Logic Diagrams (10 pts)
    • MARIE Assembly (14 pts)

  • Grades and Solutions: Solutions will be posted after 3/22.

Chapter 1: Computer Systems

  1. Main Components of a Computer

    • Processor: Interprets and executes programs.
    • Memory: Stores both data and programs.
    • Input/Output System: Mechanism for transferring data to/from external environments.

  2. Computer Development: Historical context and evolution of computers.

  3. Computer Level Hierarchy: Virtual machine layers as abstractions of lower levels, each executing specific instructions.

  4. Von Neumann Model:

    • Instruction Processing Components:
      • CPU (Central Processing Unit)
      • Main Memory
      • I/O System
    • Sequences: Instruction Fetch, Decode, Execute, Store results.
    • Von Neumann Bottleneck: Single data path limits performance.

  5. Non-Von Neumann Models: Includes additional processors (e.g., IBM Blue Gene with over 1 million processors) and various architectures (genetic, quantum, dataflow systems).

Chapter 2: Number Systems and Binary Representation

  1. Radix Systems:

    • Decimal (Base 10): Example: 58036 = 5×10^4 + 8×10^3 + 0×10^2 + 3×10^1 + 6×10^0.
    • Binary (Base 2): 26 = 1×2^4 + 1×2^3 + 0×2^2 + 1×2^1 + 0×2^0.

  2. Binary Representation:

    • Bits: The binary system consists of bits, defined as electronic charge states.

  3. Range for Unsigned Integers: Depends on the number of bits in a cell; all 0's = 0, all 1's = maximum value of the representation.

    • Example (7-bit cell): 0000000 (binary) = 0 (decimal); 1111111 (binary) = 127 (decimal).

  4. Two’s Complement Representation: Used for negative integers.

    • Sign Bit: First bit indicates the sign; 0 = positive, 1 = negative.
    • Conversion: To find absolute value, invert bits and add 1 to the least significant bit (LSB).

  5. Overflow Bit: Indicates exceeding the range capacity for both unsigned (C bit) and signed (V bit) integers.

  6. Logical and Arithmetic Operations:

    • Operations include AND, OR, NOT (logical), and ASL, ASR, NEG (arithmetic).
    • Truth tables for AND and OR operations.

  7. Hexadecimal System: Base 16 representation, linked closely with binary coding.

  8. Floating Point Representation: Involves storage for fractional numbers with 1-bit sign, exponent, and significand.

    • Biased Exponent: A number that is subtracted from the exponent for calculating true values.

  9. Character Representation: Conversion schemes (ASCII, EBCDIC, Unicode) to transform human-readable data into computer-readable formats.

  10. Error Detection and Correction:

    • Modulo 2 Arithmetic: Similar to clock arithmetic.
    • CRC Algorithm and common error-correcting codes like Hamming and Reed-Solomon.

Chapter 3: Boolean Algebra and Digital Logic

  1. Boolean Algebra: A system manipulating binary variables (true/false, on/off, 1/0).

    • Common Boolean operations include AND, OR, NOT.

  2. Truth Tables: Describe input/output relations of logical operations.

  3. Logic Gates: Basic components that implement Boolean functions, including AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR gates.

  4. Combinational Circuits: Design that produces outputs exclusively based on current inputs, not on past states.

  5. Sequential Circuits: Systems that remember states, evidenced by flip-flops that store information.

  6. Designing Circuits: Involves analysis (input-output relations) and synthesis (creating logic diagrams from truth tables).

Chapter 4: MARIE Architecture

  1. Introduction: Displays principles of a simple computer architecture.

  2. CPU Basics: Main parts are the datapath and control unit, which fetch, decode, and execute instructions.

  3. Bus: Data, control, address lines used for communication between components.

  4. Clock Cycle: Synchronizes the operations; must manage propagation delay effectively.

  5. Memory and Addressing: Structured as a linear array of addressable storage cells.

  6. Interrupts: Allow CPU to handle high-priority events, potentially altering normal execution flow.

  7. MARIE Characteristics: Features include binary data, fixed word lengths, a simple memory architecture, and a straightforward instruction set consisting of 13 instructions.

  8. Instruction Set Architecture: Defines the operations that the CPU can perform, serving as a bridge between hardware and software.

  9. Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle: Crucial for program execution, involving instruction retrieval, decoding, and executing steps.

  10. Assemblers and Indirect Addressing: Translate human-readable mnemonics into machine language; indirect addressing used for referencing operands.

  11. Control Unit Functionality: Can be hardwired (fast) or microprogrammed (more flexible); both methods involve control signals for ALU operations.

  12. Real-World Architectural Examples: Covers CISC (Complex Instruction Set Computer) and RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architectures.