Fundamentals of Computer Systems

Code:

L.EIC004

Acronym:

FSC

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Informatics Engineering and Computing

Instance: 2023/2024 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Informatics and Computing Engineering

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
L.EIC	443	Syllabus	1	-	6	52	162

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

The course introduces the general principles of operation design of modern computing systems. Analysis of computer implementation technology (logic circuits and memory) and basic principles of digital information representation enable students to recognize and describe the principles of computer operation, programming languages, and software development.

Learning outcomes and competences

After completing the course unit, the student will be able to:

1. Identify and describe the major subsystems of a personal computer;
2. Describe and interpret the binary representation of numerical information;
3. Perform basic arithmetic operations in binary;
4. Handle symbolic switching algebra expressions;
5. Identify and explain the operation of basic logic circuits (combinational and sequential);
6. Explain the operation of standard logic modules;
7. Explain the conceptual operation of solid-state memories;
8. Explain the basic principles of instruction encoding and addressing modes (instruction set architecture);
9. Write simple programs in assembly language involving Boolean and arithmetic operations, tests, and jumps;
10. Describe the operation of a single-cycle processing unit.
11. Evaluate the performance of processors in simple scenarios.

Working method

Presencial

Program

M1. Introduction. Modern computational system's elements and its areas of application. Basic features, organization, performance and energy. 

M2. Representation of information: binary representation of integers. Elementary arithmetic operations. Codes. IEEE-754 floating-point format.

M3. Combinational logic circuits. Boolean expressions. Elementary logic gates. Logic diagrams. Logic simulator. Standard circuits.

M4. Synchronous circuits: Memory elements, registers and counters. Finite state machines.

M5. Computers: high- and low-level languages. Conceptual model of program execution. Subsystems: CPU, memory, input/output peripherals.

M6. Instruction set: Instruction types, addressing modes, instruction encoding.

M7. Basic concepts of assembly programming.

M8. Implementation of control flow structures (tests, conditional jumps).

M9. Organization of a simple central processing unit. Single-cycle CPU; limitations.

M10. CPU performance: Basic performance equation, benchmarks, Amdahl's Law.

Mandatory literature

David A. Patterson e John Hennessy; Computer Organization and Design RISC-V Edition: The Hardware Software Interface, Morgan Kaufmann, 2020. ISBN: 978-0128203316
Conjuntos de exercícios resolvidos e exercícios propostos

Teaching methods and learning activities

The course unit includes lectures on the subject matter with the presentation of examples and their discussion. The theoretical-practical sessions include the presentation, analysis and resolution of a number of problems. Programming exercises will be tested on CPU emulator.

Learning activities outside the classroom:

1. Multiple-choice questionnaires for self-assessment;
2. Simulation of logic circuits;
3. Assembly programming with CPU emulator.

 

Software

Development Studio 5 Community Edition

keywords

Technological sciences > Engineering > Computer engineering

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Teste	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	110,00
Frequência das aulas	52,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

The non-participation in, at least, 75% of the scheduled TP classes will result in a Fail grade in the class. Students must also have an average test grade equal or above 6.0.

Students with valid attendance in 22/23 are not required to obtain valid attendance in 23/24.

Calculation formula of final grade

The final grade is computed based on the scores of the two in-class individual tests (T1 and T2).

The final grade (NF) is calculated as the average of the two tests' grades.

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

These students should take the same tests as regular students.

Classification improvement

Final grades can be improved by taking an exam similar to the retake.