CDA 3103

Fall 2014

Homework

CDA 3103 Computer Organization

Homework #1
Assigned: Wed., Aug. 25th, 2014

Due: 11 : 55pm via Blackboard, or in-class, Sep. 3th, 2014

Problems
1. (5 pts) What are the essential building blocks for a computer?
See Section The Main Components of a Computer.
2. (5 pts) Technical societies such as IEEE and ACM as well as other entities organize contests
for computer science and engineering students. Name a few such contests.
See Section Standards Organizations
3. (5 pts) What are Charles Babbage and Ada Gordon famous for in the history of computers?
See Section Generation Zero: Mechanical Calculating Machines (1642-1945).
4. (5 pts)
a) How many milliseconds (ms) are in 1 second?
b) How many microseconds (s) are in 1 second?
c) How many nanoseconds (ns) are in 1 millisecond?
d) How many microseconds are in 1 millisecond?
e) How many nanoseconds are in 1 microsecond?
f) How many kilobytes (KB) are in 1 gigabyte (GB)?
d) How are
many
are in 1 millisecond?
g) How many kilobytes
in microseconds
1 megabyte (MB)?

e) How many nanoseconds are in 1 microsecond?

h) How many megabytes

are in
1 gigabyte
f) How many
kilobytes
(KB)(GB)?
are in 1 gigabyte (GB)?
g) How
many
kilobytes are in 1 megabyte (MB)?
i) How many bytes
are in
20 megabytes?
h

How many megabytes are in 1 gigabyte (GB)?

j) How many kilobytes

in 2bytes
gigabytes?
i) Howare
many
are in 20 megabytes?

j) How many kilobytes are in 2 gigabytes?

Ans. Typically, time is measured in powers of 10, so we have:
a. 1,000
f. 1,000,000 (or 230/210=220)
b. 1,000,000
g. 1,000 (or 220/210=210)
c. 1,000,000
h. 1,000 (or 230/220=210)
d. 1,000
i. 20,000,000 (or 20*220)
e. 1,000
j. 2,000,000 (or 231/210=221)
____________________________________________________________________________________________

5. (5 pts) Briefly
breakthroughs
historythat
of computing.
3. explain
By whattwo
order
of magnitudein
is the
something
runs in nanoseconds faster than something

thattwo
runs
in milliseconds?
7. Briefly explain
breakthroughs
in the history of computing.
Ans.
Ans.
6
One million,
or 10
Acceptable answers
include
explanations of vacuum tubes, transistors, integrated circuits,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
VLSI, binary
arithmetic, quantum computing, and parallel computing.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Pretend you are ready to buy a new computer for personal use. First, take a look at ads
6. (58.pts)
list five
applications
ofintegrated
personal
computers.
Isand
there
limit
to don't
the
applications
of
Suppose
a transistor
on an
circuit
chip were
2 microns
inyou
size.
According
to
from
various
magazines
and
newspapers
list aterms
quite understand.
Look
Moore's Law,
howterms
large would
transistor
be in 2
years?
How Decide
isapplications
Moore's
law
relevant
to
up and
give
a briefdifferent
written
explanation.
what
factors
important in
computers?
Dothese
you
envision
anythat
radically
and
existing
in thearenear
programmers?
your decision as to which computer to buy and list them. After you select the system you
future?
If so, what?
would like to buy, identify which terms refer to hardware and which refer to software.
Ans.
Ans.
0.75 micron.
1 for the students, or web sites for such places as Dell,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Suggest appropriate magazines
Gateway, and IBM.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
9. What circumstances
helped the IBM PC become so successful?

9.
Ans.What circumstances helped the IBM PC become so successful?
It was an open architecture, thus allowing IBM to set the standard for the industry, while
Ans. It
was an openIBM
architecture,
encouraging
"clones". thus allowing IBM to set the standard for the industry, while
encouraging
IBM
"clones". thus allowing IBM to set the standard for the industry, while
It
was an open
architecture,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
encouraging IBM "clones".
____________________________________________________________________________________________
10. List five applications of personal computers. Is there a limit to the applications of
CDA 3103
Fall 2014Is there aand
Homework
10. List
five applications
personal
computers.
limit
to the applications
computers?
Do youof
envision
any
radically different
exciting
applicationsofin the near
computers?
Do
you
envision
any
radically
different
and
exciting
applications
in
the
10. List
five applications
future?
If so, what?of personal computers. Is there a limit to the applications of near
future? If so,Do
what?
computers?
you envision any radically different and exciting applications in the near
Ans.
Ans.future? If so, what?
There are many applications, including such things as word processing, bookkeeping,
Ans. There
are many applications, including such things as word processing, bookkeeping,
digital image editing, creating/writing music, graphics design, gaming, coding, mapping,
digitalare
image
editing,
creating/writing
music,things
graphics word
design,
gaming, coding,
mapping,
There
many
applications,
including
processing,
record storage
(database),
and
controlsuch
(such as in as
an assembly
line orbookkeeping,
any real-time
record image
storage
(database),
and control music,
(such as
in an assembly
line or any
real-time
digital
editing,
creating/writing
graphics
design, gaming,
coding,
mapping,
system),not
notto
tomention
mentionasasan
an electronic
resource
or for
various
medical
applications (such
system),
resource
or for
variousline
medical
applications
record
storage
(database),
and electronic
control (such
as in an
assembly
or any
real-time (such
as in
in CAT
CATscan
scanmachines).
machines).
as
system), not to mention as an electronic resource or for various medical applications (such
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
as in CAT scan machines).
____________________________________________________________________________________________
7. (511.
pts)
the
von
Neumann
model,
explain
the
purpose
of
the a) processing unite, b) program
11.
InIn
the
von
Neumann
model,
explain
thepurpose
purpose
the:
In
the
von
Neumann
model,
explain
the
of of
the:
counter.
a) processing
processing
unit
a)
unit
11. In the
von
Neumann
model, explain the purpose of the:
b)processing
programcounter
counter
b)
program
a)
unit
Ans. b) program counter
Ans.
a) The
Theprocessing
processingunit
unitperforms
performsallallofofthe
the
arithmetic
and
logic
functions.
arithmetic
and
logic
functions.
Ans.a)
b) The
Theprocessing
programcounter
counter
responsible
keeping
track
of
next
instruction
to fetch.
b)
program
isisresponsible
forfor
keeping
track
thethe
next
instruction
to fetch.
a)
unit performs
all of the
arithmetic
andof
logic
functions.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
b) The program counter is responsible for keeping track of the next instruction to fetch.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
8. (512.
pts)
Under
the
von
Neumann
architecture,
a program
and
its
data
are
both
in
12.
Under
thevon
vonNeumann
Neumann
architecture,
program
and
data
are
both
stored
in stored
memory.
Under
the
architecture,
aa
program
and
itsits
data
are
both
stored
in memory.
memory.
It
is
therefore
possible
for
a
program,
thinking
a
memory
location
holds
a
piece
It is
is therefore
therefore
possiblefor
for
program,thinking
aand
memory
location
holds
a piece
of data of
It
aaprogram,
a memory
location
holds
a piece
data
12. Under
the vonpossible
Neumann
architecture,
athinking
program
its data
are both
stored
inofmemory.
dataIt
when
it
actually
holds
a
program
instruction,
to
accidentally
(or
on
purpose)
modify
when
ititactually
holds
aaprogram
instruction,
accidentally
(or(or
on
purpose)
modify
itself.
when
actually
holdsfor
program
instruction,
accidentally
on
purpose)
modify
itself.
is therefore
possible
a program,
thinking to
a to
memory
location
holds
a piece
of
data
itself.when
What
implications
does
this
present
to
you
as
a
programmer?
What
implications
does
this
present
to
you
as
a
programmer?
What
implications
does
this
present
to
you
as
a
programmer?
it actually holds a program instruction, to accidentally (or on purpose) modify itself.
What implications does this present to you as a programmer?
Ans.
Ans.
make
sure
the
code
doesn't
modify
itself
in some
Ans.Care
Care must
mustbe
betaken
takenwhen
whenprogramming
programmingtoto
make
sure
the
code
doesn't
modify
itself
in some
way.
For
example,
if
a
memory
location
holds
an
instruction
(which
is
represented
by
a
Care
must
be
taken
when
programming
to
make
sure
the
code
doesn't
modify
itself
in
way. For example, if a memory location holds an instruction (which is represented some
by a
binary
number),
and
value
that
instruction,
thethe
result
could
be be
a valid
way.
For
example,
if aaamemory
location
holds
an
instruction
(which
is represented
by a
binary
number),
and
valueisisadded
addedtoto
that
instruction,
result
could
a valid
instruction
that
executed,
resulting
anan
error
that
very
difficult
toatrack
down.
binary
number),
and
a value
is added
to thatininstruction,
theisresult
could
be
valid
instruction
thatis
islater
later
executed,
resulting
in
error
that
is very
difficult
to
track
down.
The
an
could
a program
to to
crash.
instruction
that isofof
later
executed,
resulting
in cause
an
error
is very
difficult
The modification
modification
aninstruction
instruction
couldalso
also
cause
athat
program
crash. to track down.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
The modification of an instruction could also cause a program to crash.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________

9. (5 pts) Explain why modern computers consist of multiple levels of virtual machines.
13. Explain why modern machines consist of multiple levels of virtual machines.
Ans.
Page 4
Pageeach
4 layer of the machine performs. This
The virtual machines abstractLast
outUpdated:
the tasks
January
2011
Page
4January
Last Updated:
2011
allows us to use a divide andLast
conquer
approach
Updated: January and
2011view the computer organization as
separate layers, each built upon the ones below it. We can study one layer and get a
detailed understanding on what it does and what it provides to the next higher layer.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
14. Explain what it means to fetch an instruction.
Ans.
2 Submission
Requirements
The program counter holds the memory address of the next instruction to be executed.
The control unit retrieves that instruction from memory so it can be decoded and executed.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
The following
requirements are for electronic submission via Blackboard.
15. Read a popular local newspaper and search though the job openings. (You can also check

Your some
solutions
in a single
filecareer
with sites.)
a file name
of themust
morebe
popular
online
Whichyourname-hw1.
jobs require specific hardware
knowledge?
Which
jobs
imply
knowledge
of
computer
hardware?
Is there
any correlation
Upload the file by following the link where you download the
homework
description
on Blackbetween
the
required
hardware
knowledge
and
the
company
or
its
location?
board.
Ans.
If scanned
from hand-written copies, then the writing must be legible, or loss of credits may
No answer.
occur.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
Only submissions in the designated location on Blackboard are graded. Submis16. List
some common
and some not-so-common uses of computers in
sions
in and
anydescribe
other forms
will beuses
ignored.

business and other sectors of society.

Ans.
For in-class
No hardcopy
answer. submission, your name must be written on every page. Your writing needs
to be legible,
or
loss of credits may occur. All pieces of papers for your submission must be properly
____________________________________________________________________________________________

ordered and stapled together.

17. The technologist's notion of Moore's Law is that the number of transistors per chip doubles
approximately every 18 months. In the 1990s, Moore's Law started to be described as the
doubling of microprocessor power every218 months. Given this new variation of Moores
Law, answer the following: