Prog & Hardware Fundamentals

Catalog description

Introduction to the C programming language, including local and global variables, basic control structures, function calls, pointers and the stack; use of command-line C development environments and development tools such as gdb and make; assembly language connection to higher-level C; building blocks of the Von Neumann machine (ALU, registers, control unit, RAM, decoders, program counters) and the underlying basic logic elements; simple non-pipelined processor architectures. Supervised laboratory work involves programming in C and low-level languages, interfacing with hardware, and the design and simulation of small circuits and simplified microprocessors. Prerequisites: MATH 225 (may be taken concurrently) and CS 110 (may be waived upon request by the Undergraduate Director based on prior programming experience). All prerequisites must have a grade of C- or better. Offered every semester.