CPSC 220: Introduction to Computer Architecture

CPSC 220: Introduction to Computer Architecture (Spring 2008)

Lecture: 11:15 - 12:10 (period 4) Mon/Wed/Fri, Room Eaton 110
Web: http://math.hws.edu/mcorliss/spring08/cs220/index.html
Class schedule: http://math.hws.edu/mcorliss/spring08/cs220/schedule.html

Announcements

[May 5] - The final exam will be held in Eaton 111 rather than Eaton 110. Eaton 111 is the room adjacent to our normal classroom.
[Apr 29] - The final exam has been rescheduled for Thursday, May 8th from 2PM to 5PM.
[Jan 21] - My office hours are Mon/Wed 12:15-1:15, Thu 10-12, and Fri 1:30-2:30. Please stop by with any and all questions or comments. If you can't make my office hours then send me an email and we can coordinate a meeting at another time. Also, feel free to stop by my office unannounced at any time and if I'm available I will meet with you.
[Jan 21] - Make sure you view the class schedule and this page regularly.

Staff

Instructor: Marc Corliss (corliss at hws dot edu)
Office hours: Mon/Wed 12:15-1:15, Thu 10-12, Fri 1:30-2:30.

Course Summary

A broad introduction to computer architecture, this course shows students how computers really work and how millions of transistors come together to form a complete computing system. It uses a bottom-up approach starting with transistors, followed by logic gates, followed by basic processor components, complete processors, low-level machine instructions, and finally, assembly language. Each topic is built on top of the previous topics, which minimizes the amount of memorization the student must do.

This course will also act as an introduction to other courses in the broad area of systems including compilers (CPSC 333) and operating systems (CPSC 331). By the end of the course, students will understand the role of the compiler and operating system within a complete computer system (although they will of course not know how to design or implement either until after they have taken the later courses).

The prerequite for this course is CPSC 124 (introduction to programming). Students must have taken this course and received a grade of at least a C-. If that is not the case, the student should meet with the instructor before enrolling for the course.

Textbook

Introduction to Computing Systems: From Bits and Gates to C and Beyond by Patt and Patel (errata).

Schedule

The tentative class schedule is online. The schedule is split into several topics that usually make up one chapter of the textbook. The readings for each day should be done before that class. Projects and homeworks are due at the start of each class they are due. Exams (both the review and the actual test) and vacation days are indicated on the schedule.

Course Work

Homeworks. There will be roughly 10 homeworks (1 per chapter covered in the book). These must be completed individually. Homeworks will consist of both short-answer exercises and programming exercises. At the beginning of the semester, homeworks will mostly consist of short-answer exercises, but later in the semester they will consist of both short-answer and programming exercises. The short-answer exercises must be hand written or typed and a hard copy (i.e., on paper) must be handed in. The programming exercises must be handed in electronically (no hard copy is necessary). Directions for submitting electronically will be given at the time the homework is handed out. Both short-answer exercises and programming exercises must be handed in at the start of class on the day that they are due unless otherwise specified. Late homeworks are not accepted.

Projects. There will be 3 or 4 course projects that will take either two or three weeks to complete. These will include writing a simulator in Java for a simple computer, writing an assembler in Java that converts assembly language programs into machine language programs, and writing a large program (probably a game) in assembly language. These must be completed individually. The projects will require a significant amount of time, so students should start early. Late projects are accepted, but they will lose 10% of the grade of the project per day late.

Quizzes. There will be 7 short (10 minute) quizzes throughout the semester to help make sure that students keep up with the material. They may be given at any point during the class including at the start of class. In general, they will not be announced in advance, but the first quiz will be given Wednesday, January 30th. The lowest two grades will be dropped. If a student misses a quiz (for any reason), they will receive a 0, including if the student shows up late on a day where a quiz is given at the beginning of class.

Exams. There will be two midterm exams and a final exam. The midterm exams will be in-class, written (no programming on the computer), and closed book/notes. The first midterm is tentatively scheduled for Monday, February 18th. The second midterm is tentatively scheduled for Monday, March 31st. The final will be cumulative, but will emphasize aspects of the material covered after the second midterm. The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 13th from 7:00pm to 10:00pm in Eaton 110 (our normal classroom). Note: the final exam date and time is scheduled by the registrar's office and will not be changed. Rescheduling or making up of exams will only be allowed for *compelling* circumstances. Arrangements must be made in advance for non-emergencies. Making up a missed exam will only be allowed with documentation from an appropriate person (dean, doctor, etc.).

Attendance/Participation. To get full credit for participation, students should attend all lectures (MWF, 11:15-12:10, Eaton 110). Students can miss at most three classes (for any reason). If a student misses more than three classes, they will lose 10% of their attendance/participation grade per day missed. In addition, if a student misses a lecture in which a quiz is given, they will receive a grade of zero for that quiz.

Grading

Homeworks: 25% (approximately 2.5% each)
Projects: 20% (5-7.3% each)
Quizzes: 10% (2% each)
Midterm exams: 20% (10% each)
Final exam: 15%
Participation, attendance, etc.: 10%

Academic Integrity

The Principle of Academic Integrity (see the HWS Catalogue, p. 33) governs the work completed in this course. The following outlines specifically how this principle applies.

Exams and Quizzes. All exams and quizzes are to be completed solely by the student whose name is on the paper. Unless otherwise specified, these are closed book/notes, which includes any materials not provided as part of the exam/quiz.

Homeworks. Homework assignments are to be completed solely by the student whose name is on the paper. Copying part or all of someone else's solution is prohibited and will result in a 0 on the assignment for all involved parties.

Projects. The projects are also to be completed solely by the student submitting the project for credit. Students may not work with other students, including discussing ideas, offering debugging help, or looking at their programs. Students may consult the book, their notes, any course materials provided in class or on the course website, and reference books found in the lab. Use of other materials (including websites) is not allowed. It is never acceptable to be in possession of another person's program, either hardcopy or electronic (even if that person is not at HWS).

Each program submitted for credit will be checked by a plaigarism detector called MOSS (http://theory.stanford.edu/~aiken/moss/) to determine if it was copied. MOSS is highly accurate at detecting plagiarized software (changing a few variable names, comments, etc., will not help). In addition, any student that submits a suspicious project will have to explain their code to the instructor. If they are unable to effectively explain the code, then they will not receive credit for the assignment (and the case may be taken to the committee on standards). A second result instance of plagiarism on a project will result in failure of the course and the cast will be taken to the committee on standards.

Summary. The moral of the story is students should not cheat in this course. For each case of cheating, the student will receive a 0 on the assignment. For a project, the case may be taken to the committee on standards for a first offense and will definitely be taken to the committee for a second offense. A second offense on a project will also result in failure for the course. It is always better to submit an incomplete solution rather than to submit a plagiarized solution.

Center for Teaching and Learning

Hobart and William Smith Colleges encourages students to seek the academic collaboration and resources that will enable them to demonstrate their best work. Students who would like to enhance their study skills, writing skills, or have other academic inquiries should contact the CTL. You may visit the CTL web site to learn more about the services and programs that are available.

If you are a student with a disability for which you may need accommodations, you are required to register with the Coordinator of Disability Services at the CTL and provide documentation of the disability. Services and accommodations will not be provided until this process is complete. The web site for information pertaining to registration with the CTL and documenting disabilities is: http://www.hws.edu/studentlife/stuaffairs_disabilities.aspx.