Computer Organization & Assembly Language ((4 Credits))

Catalog description

This course explores the relationship between hardware and software. Students will learn how the electronics of a computer form the basis of computer programming. Topics include systems of data representation, comparison of machine languages, the structure of memory, the operation of the Arithmetic Logic Unit, real and virtual memory, and race conditions. Assembly language programming projects reinforce the concepts of registers, the binary representation of numbers and the underlying machine language. Assumptions about surrounding courses: Students should be competent computer programmers, and understand data structures and algorithms and discrete mathematics. Notes: Students should select either this course, or Computer Organization and Architecture as part of their degree program as there is substantial overlap in the course curriculums.