COMP-1200 Exam Review

Exam Logistics

Format: The exam will be conducted in person, utilizing a pen-and-paper format that tests both theoretical knowledge and practical problem-solving skills relevant to the course material. Students are expected to be well-prepared for this format, as it will also require clear and legible handwriting throughout the examination process.

Preparation: Each student is allowed to bring one handwritten reference page, which can be utilized during the exam. This reference page must adhere to the guideline of one standard sheet, with permitted content on both the front and back, allowing students to include essential formulas, definitions, and key concepts. It is advisable to strategically choose what information is included to maximize its utility during the exam.

Submission: The reference page must be submitted alongside the exam materials once completed. This submission is mandatory and will be collected for review, ensuring adherence to the guidelines and preventing any form of unauthorized materials during the examination.

Exam Content

The content will closely mirror that of the midterm exam, and students should thoroughly review materials covered prior. This includes, but is not limited to, lecture slides that have been emphasized multiple times throughout the course.
Discussion Topics: In addition to the core content, exam questions will delve into discussion topics, class activities, and the questions raised during the daily QOTD (Question of the Day). These components are significant for assessing both understanding and the ability to apply knowledge in various contexts.
Extra Credit: Opportunities for extra credit will be available and awarded for demonstrating initiative that goes beyond the minimum requirements expected in the course, such as actively participating in class discussions, completing additional practice problems, or engaging with supplementary materials.

Effective Study Strategies

Review Slides:

• Attempt to explain each individual slide in depth, ensuring comprehensive understanding.

• Remove slides you are comfortable with from your revision list, allowing you to focus on more challenging concepts.

• Prioritize revisiting and reconstructing explanations of the remaining slides repeatedly until you have mastered their content.

• Key Concepts: Pay particular attention to key concepts highlighted by quotation marks (" "), as these often indicate critical areas of understanding necessary for the exam.

• Example Code & Figures: Ensure a thorough understanding of any example code snippets or visual representations presented during lectures, as these may be implemented in exam questions.

• Practice Old Exams: Working through previous exam papers and engaged class activities can provide a crucial benchmark for understanding the exam format and types of questions asked.

• Critical Reading: During the exam, it is imperative to pay close attention to the questions and their instructions. For instance, in true/false questions, correctly interpreting “A”=T and “E”=False can be the difference in securing points.

• Instructor Questions: Do not hesitate to reach out to the instructor to clarify any topics you find confusing or challenging, and take advantage of office hours or designated review sessions.

Information Representation in Computing

Conversion: Grasp the fundamental concepts of converting numbers (both integers and real numbers) and text into binary and hexadecimal notations for understanding digital representations. This includes knowing how character encoding works within binary systems.
Arithmetic: Learn to carry out arithmetic operations on numbers represented in binary and hexadecimal, which are crucial for similar operations performed in computing environments.
Issues in Computing:

• Overflow: Identify scenarios where computations exceed the maximum value representable by a specified format, resulting in incorrect calculations.

• Floating-point: Develop an awareness of floating-point representations, their structure, and common limitations, particularly in relation to precision loss in calculations.

• Memory Access: Understand principles on how to access data stored in memory, including relevant structures used to manage memory effectively and efficiently.

Bytes and Their Representation

Definition: One byte comprises eight bits, which are fundamental units of data in computing.
Examples:

• Binary: As an illustration, the binary representation of a number can be expressed as $0100 \text{ }1101$; its equivalent hexadecimal form is $0x4D$, which corresponds to Decimal 77 and ASCII character "L".

• Another Byte: Furthermore, another example might be represented as Binary: $1100 \text{ }1101$; in hexadecimal this is $0xCD$, equating to Decimal (unsigned) 205; keep in mind that two's complement also includes negative values.

Operations on Data

Addition:

• Implement bitwise addition techniques, properly managing the carry to the next column, and always checking for overflow conditions.

• Negation and subtraction operations necessitate flipping bits to derive the correct results.

• Understand sign extension, which involves converting 4-bit representations to 8-bit (and vice versa) while maintaining the correct value.

• Master logical operations including AND ($\text{AND}$), OR ($\text{OR}$), and XOR ($\text{XOR}$) operations, knowing their definition and practical applications in logical circuits.

Combinational Logic Circuits

Logic Gates: Gain familiarity with the basic logic gates (AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR, XNOR) and comprehend how they combine to function in complex circuits.
Circuit Behavior: Demonstrate the ability to describe and analyze the behaviors of a variety of combinational logic circuits, including understanding inputs and outputs based on given conditions.
Truth Tables: Construct and simplify truth tables utilizing Karnaugh maps (K-maps) for visual aids in minimizing logical expressions.

Representation of Logic Functions

Equivalence: A logic function can be represented through three main forms:

• Logic circuit representation

• Truth table form

• Logic expression format
  Example Function: Actively simplify expressions using substitutions in logical expressions such as $Q = A(A + B)$, which showcases the need for logical efficiency.

Sequential Logic Circuits

Basics: Introduce and describe fundamental storage elements, such as flip-flops, and outline key memory concepts that govern how data is stored and manipulated over time.
Tracing Behavior: Develop skills to analyze the behavior of sequential logic circuits, including timing diagrams and responses to various input signals.
Finite State Machines (FSM): Construct FSMs incorporating inputs and outputs; typical example states can include A, B, and C, each reacting to specific input conditions in predictable ways.

Simplifying K-Maps

Identification: Learn to recognize and identify rectangles within the K-map, which represent the minimized expressions for logical functions.
Variables: Accurately determine consistent bits that will aid in simplification, paying attention to negations for bits that consistently yield zero.

Computer Models - Von Neumann Architecture

Components: Understand the core components involved in the Von Neumann architecture, including its processing unit, memory storage, input/output devices, and control unit, along with their interrelationships.
Instruction Cycle: The instruction cycle is composed of several key operations: Fetch, Decode, Execute, Write Back. Each phase should be clearly defined and understood as part of the overall process that facilitates computation.

Assembly Language Concepts

Comparison: Develop an understanding of the similarities and differences between compiling C code and assembling assembly code, focusing on how higher-level constructs are translated to lower-level representations.
Conditional and Iteration Constructs: Recognize how these programming structures (conditional statements and loops) are represented within assembly language, noting their implications on control flow.

Practical Assembly Language Knowledge

2. XOR Instruction: Learn to use the XOR instruction in practical settings, demonstrating its application on binary numbers while also employing syscall to display results in a clinical manner.

3. Factorial Function: Challenge yourself by writing recursive functions for computing factorials in assembly language, focusing on the implications of recursion within low-level programming environments.

Additional Topics

Debugging & Tracing: Familiarize yourself with various techniques that can be used to debug and trace RISC-V assembly code, refining your problem-solving and coding abilities.
Storage & Caching: Review and understand core memory concepts pertaining to storage and caching mechanisms that are employed to optimize data retrieval speeds.
Simulators: Get accustomed to simulation tools such as Logisim, RARS, and other platforms related to coursework, emphasizing their role in practical applications and extra credit opportunities.