This class is a possible elective for students on Maths-based degrees, as it does not conflict with compulsory Mathematics/STAMS classes.
Details are given in good faith, but this class and its code or timetable may be subject to change or cancellation.
For further information on this class please contact The Department of Computer and Information Sciences (external link)
Core Details
| Semester | 1 |
|---|---|
| Credits | 10 |
Essential Prerequisites
SQA Higher Grade Mathematics (or equivalent).
Description
Aim: To enable the student to develop an understanding of the role of the main components of computer systems and of how these components work together.
Objectives: On completion of this class, a student should have developed an understanding of:- the function and basic operation of the main hardware components of computer systems; language levels and the role of systems software; a variety of data representations; logic gates and combinatorial circuits; concepts in systems integrity and security; trends in performance improvement.
Syllabus: Basic large-scale components of computer systems: CPU; main memory; I/O devices; secondary storage; networks. Data representation: bit; byte; hexadecimal; ASCII; unsigned binary; sign and magnitude; twos complement, audio, images; simple compression techniques, introduction to speech recognition, computer vision. Function of logic gates: sum of products expressions, Boolean algebra; Karnaugh maps; combinatorial logic circuits, e.g. those for multiplexers, adders, overflow detection; PLAs. Von Neumann architecture; basic fetch-execute cycle including role of program counter and instruction register; ALU and control unit; introduction to pipelining and cache memory. Main memory volatility, Read/Write, ROM categories; magnetic disk, tape and CD-ROM storage; polled and interrupt-driven I/O; Direct Memory Access. Language levels and systems software: simple machine code instruction set, assembler, high-level languages and translators; operating systems: multiprogramming; virtual memory, spooling, user interface, directory structure. Integrity and security: back-ups, passwords, access rights, parity, viruses.