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CS/COE 0447: Computer Organization and Assembly Language Monday & Wednesday, 4:30 PM - 5:45 PM, LAWRN 203
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11/16: Santiago has posted the solution for homework #3. See his web site.
11/11: A list of sections and sample problems (with solution) are now available for exam #2.
11/09: Homework #3 is now available.
10/26: I have to cancel office hours tomorrow (Tuesday). If you have questions, send me an e-mail.p
10/25: Project #2 is now available. You should also visit the project web site for the simulator, required and example game boards, and any possible hints (posted as questions come up). You'll need to use the same account and password as the last assigment, if you access these files from an off-campus location.
10/23: There is another small but important typo in the homework. Santiago sent e-mail to everyone about the clarification. In case you haven't seen his e-mail: The multiplication in problem 16 should be between signed numbers, instead of unsigned numbers. You can show the steps of the algorithm either for 8-bit signed numbers (01101101b and 11011010b) or for 9-bit "unsigned" numbers (001101101b and 011011010b).
10/21: There is a minor mistake in the homework. A corrected version of the homework has been posted. The conversions in problems 5, 7, 9 and 14 should be into 9-bit binary numbers, instead of 8-bit binary numbers. See the link below.
10/18: Homework #2 is now available. It is due at the beginning of class on Monday, October 26.
10/12: The schedule has been updated. I 've also noted when homeworks and projects will be assigned. These dates are somewhat tentative since they depend on how quickly we go in lecture, but I will attempt to stick to them.
10/08: Monday is Fall Break. Monday classes are moved to Tuesday and will meet at their normal time in their normal room. So, we'll have class on Tuesday, 4:30pm-5:45pm in the usual room. We'll also have the regular Wednesday class.
10/05: Because everybody has been working so hard (good job!!!), if you want an extra day for the project, you may take one. You can turn the project in by 11:59pm on Tuesday, October 6. If you turn the project in by the actual due date (Monday, October 5 at 11:59pm), you will receive "extra credit" for the submission. (Note: I have office hours tomorrow, if you're having trouble.)
9/30: We will have a project discussion session 7:30-9:00pm in Sennott Square, room 5129, on Thursday, Oct 1. Please come with your questions.
09/27: A list of sections covered by the exam is available. This web page also has links to sample problems and a solution.
09/22: Due a meeting, Santiago's office hours will be 2:30pm-4:30pm on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
09/22: The University has a G-20 web site. This web site will give any updates about campus closings. You may want to watch this site to see how the G-20 will impact your classes, including the CS 447 recitation.
09/21: Project 1 is available. It is due 10/05 by 11:59pm. The project requires a special version of Mars, which is available here. Two demo programs are also available: hola.asm and leddemo.asm. To access the simulator and the demo programs from an off-campus location, you'll need the account name and password, which will be announced in class.
09/14: The first homework is now available. It is due in one week on September 21 at the beginning of class.
09/09: The first recitation will be held this week on Friday. Please attend.
09/09: There were no objections to moving exam #2 to Nov. 18. So, the exam will be on Wednesday, Nov. 18 (the week before the Thanksgiving break).
09/02: As noted on the semester schedule, there is no lab this week. The first lab is Friday, September 11.
08/12: The class is full. Due to limited recitation and classroom space, it is not possible to increase the class size. However, there is a possibility that seats will become available during the add/drop period. If you want to add the class (i.e., you aren't in it), I recommend that you attend lecture during the first week and keep checking whether a seats becomes free. During the first class (August 31), I'll have more to say about this topic.
08/10: You must register for one of the recitations, along with the course.
08/10: First class is Monday, August 31.
Course announcements will be put here. It is your responsibility to check the announcements regularly.
Important Links
Instructor
Dr.
Bruce Childers (childers"at" cs.pitt.edu)
6409 Sennott Square
Phone: 412-624-8421 (emergencies)
Office Hours: Monday 5:45pm-6:15pm and Tuesday 3:15pm-4:45pm
Please come earlier, rather than later to office hours.
I am also available by appointment. Please send e-mail to schedule an appointment.
Much of the information on this web page is tentative and subject to change. Watch the schedule and the web page for the latest information.
Teaching Assistant
Santiago Bock
E-mail: sab104 "at" cs "dot" pitt "dot" edu
Office: 6507 Sennott Square
Office hours: Mon, Wed at 12:30pm-2:30pm and Thu at 2:00pm-4:00pm
Web site for CS/COE 447
The TA is your first source of information. If you have questions about the homework, labs, recitations, exams, class lectures, etc., you should check first with the TA before the instructor.
Description
The purpose of this course is to study the components of computing systems common to most computer architectures. In particular, this class is meant to introduce data representation, types of processors (e.g., RISC V. CISC), memory types and hierarchy, assembly language, linking and loading, and an introduction to device drivers.
Textbook
Computer Organization and Design - The Hardware/Software Interface, John Hennessy and David Patterson, FOURTH EDITION, Morgan Kaufmann.
There will also be supplemental material in some lectures -- you are responsible for all information presented in class.
Simulator
We will use a MIPS simulator to run your assembly language programs. The simulator is MARS from Pete Sanderson and Ken Vollmar. You can get the simulator from their web site. I suggest that you install the simulator on your computer as you'll need it throughout the semester.
Requirements and Grading
The course includes exams, labs, written homeworks and programming homeworks. No extra credit will be offered. The grade distrbution is:
You may ask to have an exam, homework or lab regraded. However, the entire exam, homework or lab will be regraded. This may or may not result in a grade change, either up or down. To have an exam, lab or homework regraded, you must hand in the item with a typewritten paragraph explaining what was not graded correctly. You must ask for the regrading by the next class period after the homework, lab, or exam was returned. There will be no exceptions to this requirement.
Attending class is vital to success! It is unlikely you will do well in the course unless you attend lectures. You are responsible for all material presented in lecture, including material not directly covered in the textbook. If you must miss a class, you should ask your classmates for course notes. The instructor will not provide course notes.
Exams
There will be three exams: two mid-term exams and one final exam. The final exam is comprehensive: It covers all material in the course. The tentative exam dates are listed on the schedule. The final exam date is set by the University. If you are taking more than two finals on the same day, please talk to me early in the semester (final exam dates are already known).
Exams are closed book and an individual effort. You may use a simple non-programmable calculator. I strongly recommend the use of calculators: The exams will require computing many values and it will be hard to do so without a calculator.
Labs
Labs will be conducted during recitation on Fridays. The lab assignments will be distributed in recitation and turned in before the next lab via electronic file transfer with FTP. More information about the submission process will be given in the first recitation.
There will be twelve labs; the lowest two lab grades will be dropped (i.e., you can miss up to two labs without penalty). To pass the course, you must turn in at least ten completed labs. If you miss recitation, you can not make up the lab. Late lab assignments (without a valid University excuse - see below) will not be accepted since you can miss up to two labs without penalty. Points may be given for attendance in labs.
You are allowed to collaborate with a partner in the lab. However, each person must turn in their own copy of the lab, with the name of their partner.
Homeworks
There will be two types of homeworks: written and programming. Written assignments will be "pen and paper", where you complete word problems. Programming assignments will require that you write significant assembly language programs. You must follow the requirements given in the homeworks to receive credit.
The homeworks will be posted on the TA's web site on the day that they are assigned. This web site may also give hints about the more difficult problems. A solution will be posted on the TA's web site for each homework, once the limit for late homework has expired. You are responsible for visiting this web site to get the homeworks, solutions, and hints. Late homeworks (without a valid University excuse - see below) will not be accepted, so plan accordingly.
Collaboration
All exams and homeworks are individual efforts. For homeworks, it is acceptable to talk with a fellow student about how to approach an assignment. It is not acceptable to collaborate on the actual assignment, such as writing a program together.
Cheating will not be tolerated. Any cases of cheating will result in a F in the course and will be reported to the appropriate Dean's office (ECE or FAS). Be careful how you use Google: Copying assembly language directly from the web is cheating.
If you have any doubts about what is "cheating", ask the instructor for clarification.
Late Assignments
A late assignment with a valid written excuse according to University rules will be accepted up to one week late without a penalty. Otherwise, late labs, projects or homeworks will not be accepted.
There will be no early exams. Make up exams must be pre-approved. No make up exams will be given that do not meet University rules and have proper (written) documentation.
All make up work (homeworks and exams) must be completed within one week of the original assignment.
Cell Phones, Laptops, PDAs (& other electronic devices)
Turn off your cell phone, laptop, PDA, etc., before lecture starts. If you want to use a laptop, PDA, cell phone or recording device to take notes, you must ask the instructor for permission.
Note for Students
If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accomodation, you are encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Resources and Services, 216 William Pitt Union (412-648-7890), as soon as possible in the term. They will verify your disability and determine reasonable accomodations for this course.
Please look at the web pages for the joint BS/MS Computer Science program and the co-op program.
There are also many wonderful opportunities for graduate study in computer science. Ask the instructor if you'd like to know more about graduate school. It's a lot of fun!