CSEE 3827: Fundamentals of Computer Systems

Announcements

• 2/1: If you prefer, you may turn in your homeworks electronically via courseworks.
• 1/11: First class meeting on Wednesday 1/20 Havemeyer 209.

Course Information

• Description: The purpose of this course is to examine how the digital 1s and 0s that are the foundation of digital computing are organized, structured, and manipulated to become a full-fledged computer system. In bridging this gap, the course will cover many subjects beginning with binary logic, combinatorial and sequential circuit design, memory structures, instruction set architectures, and, ultimately, basic processor design.


• Prereqs: An introductory programming course (e.g., COMS 1004 or 1007).


• Lectures: Mondays and Wednesdays 1:10pm - 2:25pm in Havemeyer 209.


• Course staff and contact information: There are several ways to ask questions and get help:
  • Email the course staff
  • Post a question to the course messageboard on Courseworks
  • Come to office hours:

    		Office	Phone	E-Mail	Office Hours
    Prof.	Martha Kim	CSB 469	212-939-7094	martha@cs.columbia.edu	Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:30-3:30pm
    TA	Cathy Chen	TA Room, 1st floor Mudd		cc3165@columbia.edu	Thursdays, 10am-11:30pm
    TA	Richard Sampson	TA Room, 1st floor Mudd		ras2124@columbia.edu	Tuesdays 10:30am-12pm, Wednesdays 4-5:30pm
    TA	Baolin Shao	TA Room, 1st floor Mudd		bshao@cs.columbia.edu	Fridays 10:00am-11:30am

  
  
  
• Textbooks: There are two required texts:
  • Logic and Computer Design Fundamentals, 4th ed, by M. Morris Mano and Charles Kime (ISBN: 978-0131989269)
  • Computer Organization and Design, The Hardware/Software Interface, 4th ed, by David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy (ISBN: 978-0123744937)
  NB: We will not take any homework problems directly out of the text, so if have access to third editions of the texts, they will do fine. The chapter and section numbering is unlikely to match the syllabus below, but if you are willing to sort out the substance you should be just fine with third editions.


• Grading Formula:
  • Homeworks (40%)
  • Midterm exam (30%)
  • Final exam (30%)


• Homeworks: There will be six homeworks over the course of the semester.
  • Homeworks are due at the start of class on their due date. We will not accept late submissions. If you cannot attend class, you can slip them under Prof. Kim's office door (CSB 469) ahead of time.
  • We will drop everyone's lowest homework grade when calculating final grades
  • You are free to discuss homework problems with your classmates. However each student is to write up his or her own solution and is expected to be able to explain and reproduce the work she or she submits.
  • Note the names of your collaborators at the top of your homework submission.
  • Finally, please help us out and staple all multipage assignments before handing them in.