About the Course
Welcome to CSE 30: Computer Organization! This course aims to introduce you to how computers function from assembly code down to the digital logic that is the backbone of processors. The main components of this class are: number systems, assembly programming (in a subset of 32-bit ARM), digital logic (combinational and sequential), processor performance, processor design, and the memory hierarchy.
Why Computer Organization?
This is the first step to a deep understanding of computer architecture — how modern CPUs are designed and organized. Understanding the inner workings of the computers you use everyday will make you a better programmer and computer scientist in general, in much the same way that someone who understands how an airplane works makes a better pilot, and someone who understands the properties of light and the materials they use makes a better artist.
Prerequisites
This course is designed for students who have a comfortable knowledge of C programming. This includes pointers, bitwise operations, and stack frames. You should have completed CSE 29 (or equivalent) prior to taking this course.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete CSE 30 will be able to:
- Trace, explain, and interpret the functionality of assembly programs.
- Author short functions in assembly.
- Translate from C to assembly and assembly to C, demonstrating understanding of how variables, conditionals, loops, functions, stack, pointers, and dynamic memory are managed in assembly.
- Design basic circuits that use combinational logic (muxes and ripple-carry adders) and/or use sequential logic (Latches, Flip-Flops).
- Apply Amdahl’s Law and the Performance Equation to processor performance.
- Design and modify a single cycle processor capable of executing a particular instruction set.
- Determine the impact of the cache hierarchy based on program characteristics.
- Model the behavior of various cache designs based on cache characteristics and an incoming address stream.
Course Resources
iClicker Device
(Required) Physical iClicker device (the iClicker app will not work). Available in the bookstore. Your iClicker participation is maintained through the iClicker Cloud website. Your iClicker's unique ID (on the back of the device) will be registered as you participate. You need to create an account on iClicker.com using your UCSD email address and let iClicker.com know that your unique iClicker ID is associated with your UCSD email name.
Course Textbooks (Both Required)
-
Matthews, Newhall, and Webb. Dive into Systems. (DiS in assigned readings, free online)
Link: https://diveintosystems.org/book/ -
Harris and Harris. Digital Design and Computer Architecture ARM Edition. (H&H in assigned readings, free online with campus IP)
Link: ScienceDirect Book Link
Course Website, Canvas, Piazza & PrairieLearn
Course Website: The main course webpage contains basic information, schedule, and syllabus.
Canvas: We will use Canvas (www.canvas.ucsd.edu) to make various course resources available to you, including assignments, lecture slides, announcements, calendar, and podcasts. It is your responsibility to check Canvas frequently to keep up with the class.
Piazza: Please ask all course content related questions via Piazza. Make your post public unless it contains personal information. This will help you get the fastest response possible to your post. DO NOT POST YOUR CODE as a public post on Piazza because debugging of code is better done with class staff. However, questions about code in general (not your HW code) are okay. It's often better to ask questions like these in Office Hours though. When posting a question on Piazza, make sure to select the appropriate folder (e.g., if you have a question on HW1, choose the HW1 folder).
PrairieLearn: Enroll in the course in PrairieLearn.
Coursework Components
All of these components are designed to work together to facilitate your learning of the course content. It will help you most if you take all of them seriously.
- Homeworks: Homework will be assigned with a week's notice, and are typically due on Friday evening. We will assign homework most weeks.
- Quizzes: Quizzes are designed to reinforce the homework, often composed of similar questions. Quizzes will be given in discussion section in weeks 3, 5, 7, and 9.
- iClicker Participation: We will use iClickers to check understanding of material as it is presented in class.
- Exams: We will have two in-room exams: one midterm (week 6) and one final.
Grading System
I will use a form of MIN grading. That is, your final grade will be calculated as the arithmetic minimum of three equations.
- 40% midterm, 60% final
- 20% midterm, 30% final, 50% quizzes
- 20% midterm, 30% final, 40% homework, 10% iclicker participation
Integrity
Cheating WILL be taken seriously. It is not fair to honest students to take cheating lightly, nor is it fair to the cheater to let him/her go on thinking that is a reasonable alternative in life. Don't test me on this one.
The following is not considered cheating:
- discussing homework in groups (away from a PrairieLearn terminal).
The following is not considered cheating:
- discussing homework with someone who has already completed the problem, or seeing their PL screen, or accessing PL in any kind of shared, coordinated way.
- 2using hw solutions from the web, previous versions of the class, or anywhere else.
- Receiving, providing, or soliciting assistance from another student during a test.
- Querying any AI tool for anything remotely similar to a homework or quiz question.
Homework is not intended to be a grade-maker, but to prepare you for the tests, which are the grade-makers. Cheating on the homeworks is just dumb.
Penalties -- anyone copying information or having information copied during a test, or making any access to unallowed information via the internet, will receive an F for the class and will not be allowed to drop. They will be reported to their college dean. If you can prove non-cooperative copying took place, your grade may be restored, but you must prove it to the dean -- I don't want to be involved. Anyone caught cheating on the homework will take a zero for their entire homework grade, and homework will count 20% of their final grade.