Computer Architecture

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Subject:

Science and Technology

Institution Name:

The Saylor Foundation

Collection:

Saylor Foundation

Grade Level:

Post-secondary

Abstract:

The purpose of this course is to cultivate an understanding of modern computing technology through an in-depth study of the interface between hardware and software. The student will study the history of modern computing technology before learning about modern computer architecture, then the recent switch from sequential processing to parallel processing. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: identify important advances that have taken place in the history of modern computing and discuss some of the latest trends in computing industry; explain how programs written in high-level programming language, such as C or Java, can be translated into the language of the hardware; describe the interface between hardware and software and explain how software instructs hardware to accomplish desired functions; demonstrate an understanding of the process of carrying out sequential logic design; demonstrate an understanding of computer arithmetic hardware blocks and floating point representation; explain how a hardware programming language is executed on hardware and how hardware and software design affect performance; demonstrate an understanding of the factors that determine the performance of a program; demonstrate an understanding of the techniques that designers use to improve the performance of programs running on hardware; demonstrate an understanding of the importance of memory hierarchy in computer design and explain how memory design impacts overall hardware performance; demonstrate an understanding of storage and I/O devices, their performance measurement, and redundant array of inexpensive disks (more commonly referred to by the acronym RAID) technology; list the reasons for and the consequences of the recent switch from sequential processing to parallel processing in hardware manufacture and explain the basics of parallel programming. (Computer Science 301)

Languages:

English

Material Type:

Assessments, Audio Lectures, Full Course, Lecture Notes, Readings, Syllabi, Video Lectures

Media Format:

Audio, Graphics/Photos, Text/HTML, Downloadable docs, Video

Conditions of Use:

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0
You are welcome to share, remix, and adapt this course under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License; however, many linked materials within this course are copyright of their respective authors/owners and may not be openly-licensed. Please respect the copyright and terms of use associated with each resource.

Copyright Holder:

The Saylor Foundation