Patterson and Hennessy, Computer Organization
and Design; The Hardware/Software Interface
Fourth Edition (published by Morgan Kaufman)
The CD content is available online
here (you
must be on a Duke IP address)
Software/Hardware
We will do some C or C++ programming and assembly language programming.
We will be using the Altera DE2 development boards and associated software (Quartus II & NiosII IDE) for this course.
I use a 10 point scale for grading (A 90-100; B 80-90; C 70-80; D 60-70; F < 60), in the event that the course ends up being very, very difficult and everyone scores badly, then I may shift the thresholds lower (e.g., an 88 could be an A). However, I will never raise the thresholds.
Extra Credit: I will provide some extra credit problems throughout the semester. The extra credit is used at the very end of the semester after an initial score and grade is computed, thus if you do not perform any extra credit you are not penalized. Extra credit generally raises a grade by 1/3 (e.g., from a B- to a B or a B+ to an A-), in some extremely rare cases it can raise a grade by 2/3.
Homework will be assigned throughout the semester. You are expected to complete the homework individually. However, I encourage discussion between students on topics covered in this class.
There will be two midterm exams and a final in this course (see important dates)
Example Midterm