Computer

Computer Hardware Considerations e.g., delay

Adder and Logic Unit bit slice design

Performance comparisons
Computer Arithmetic & Logic

Bit slicing is a technique for constructing a processor from modules of smaller bit width. Each of
these components processes one bit field or "slice" of an operand. The grouped processing
components would then have the capability to process the chosen full word-length of a particular
software design.

Multiplication Hardware & simple multiplication algorithm

Benchmarks and their use

a benchmark is the act of running a computer program, a set of programs, or other operations, in
order to assess the relative performance of an object, normally by running a number of standard
tests and trials against it.

Memory Hierarchy pyramid

The term memory hierarchy is used in computer architecture when discussing performance
issues in computer architectural design, algorithm predictions, and the lower level programming
constructs such as involving locality of reference. A 'memory hierarchy' in computer storage
distinguishes each level in the 'hierarchy' by response time. Since response time, complexity, and
capacity are related, the levels may also be distinguished by the controlling technology.
There are four major storage levels.
Internal Processor registers and cache.
Main the system RAM and controller cards.
On-line mass storage Secondary storage.
Off-line bulk storage Tertiary and Off-line storage.

Cache Basics purpose of cache

Cache is a component that transparently stores data so that future requests for that data can be
served faster. The data that is stored within a cache might be values that have been computed
earlier or duplicates of original values that are stored elsewhere. If requested data is contained in
the cache (cache hit), this request can be served by simply reading the cache, which is
comparatively faster. Otherwise (cache miss), the data has to be recomputed or fetched from its
original storage location, which is comparatively slower. Hence, the greater the number of
requests that can be served from the cache, the faster the overall system performance becomes.

MIPS - & RISC based computer characteristics

Reduced instruction set computing, or RISC is a CPU design strategy based on the insight that
simplified (as opposed to complex) instructions can provide higher performance if this simplicity
enables much faster execution of each instruction. A computer based on this strategy is a
reduced instruction set computer, also called RISC

Big Endian
A big-endian machine stores the most significant byte firstat the lowest byte addresswhile a
little-endian machine stores the least significant byte first

IEEE 754 format

IEEE 754 was an industry standard for representing floating-point numbers in computers, it was
the most widely used format for floating-point computation. It was implemented in software, in the
form of floating-point libraries, and in hardware, in the instructions of many CPUs.

2's complement arithmetic in registers, addition, subtraction, increment,

decrement
Babbages Method - X ** N
Tri-state gate circuit - isolation for computer and memory - bus design
Tri- state logic allows an output port to assume a high impedance state in addition to the 0 and 1
logic levels, effectively removing the output from the circuit. This allows multiple circuits to share
the same output line or lines.

Flip-flop state machine - with D flip flops

Computer Function - steps in fetching and processing an instruction, with role of

the program counter, enable, wait, read / write signals, program memory vs. data
memory, address bus, data bus, instruction register, decoder, microcode, getting
data, and writing results: Be able to describe fully and in detail.
General Computer Knowledge Questions e.g., universal logic gate N inputs synthesize of addition - carry, gate delay, five classic parts of a computer, Von
Neumann vs. Harvard, difference between microprocessor and microcontroller,
address bus and data bus, what is reversible logic, full adder - ripple carry adder,

purpose of look-ahead carry, D flip-flops, simple multiply, booths algorithm, tristate gates, ALU
MIPS instruction format, and what basic MIPs instructions do. How to get the
machine code
(HEX) representation of a MIPs instruction.
Purpose of the sequential controller, instruction register, multiplexers.
Clock speed versus heat and energy consumption