Week 5:

Upcoming deadlines

  • Assignment 4 is due by the end of the day (by 11:59PM) Monday.
    Submit your completed document to elearn.
  • Sunday 11:59PM - Quiz 2. See below.
  • Next week - Assignment #5

Quiz #2

  • Quiz 2 will be open Thursday-Sunday (closes midnight). The quiz covers the topics seen in readings, activities and assignments.
  • Covers material from Weeks #3 & #4 - I recommend waiting until you get assignment 4 feedback before taking it..
  • The quiz is open book (notes, tutorials, web), TIME LIMITED (60 minutes) but NOT COLLABORATIVE!

Learning objectives:

Upon finishing this learning module, you should be able to:
  • Discuss and describe the major components of a CPU and their purpose, and the fundamental machine execution cycle (fetch-decode-execute)
  • Trace the execution of and write simplified machine code programs
  • Describe and perform common error detection and correction tricks used by computers
  • Create a working multi-screen app
  • Mentally evaluate javascript assignment statements involving arithmetic

Suggested Pacing

  • Monday: Start the programming.
  • Tuesday: Do Machine Architecture and Little Computer sections.
  • Wednesday: Finish the programming.
  • Thursday: Algorithm of the Week.
  • Friday: Take quiz.

Reading/Tutorials:

Programming

I highly recommend that online students start the programming early in the week. You can work on it in parallel with the other material, but saving it for the last minute is a recipe for trouble.
  • Note: The Finish button in theses lessons doesn't check your work like earlier lessons did. It is up to you to make sure that the code you added is producing the desired results and that you will be able to do the assignment problems correctly!
  • Complete Code.org Unit 5, Lesson 4, Parts 1-27.
    Closed Captioned Video from 5.1.4.3
  • Complete Code.org Unit 5, Lesson 5, Parts 1-6, 8-20 (You can skip part 7). Hint: if you are stuck on figuring out the bug in part 6, you can skip ahead to part 8... it will explain the idea.

Machine Architecture & the Machine Cycle

  • Read about the major components of a CPU and the machine cycle: CS160 Reader - Computer Architecture
  • This video is a good secondary source. The first 12.5 minutes do a nice job of showing a processor at work. (From minute 12:30 until the end gets into more detail than we are going to worry about, but you may find it interesting.)

    Closed Captioned Version

Machine Code and the Little Computer

  • Read about what machine language is: CS160 Reader - Machine Language
  • Rather than try to work with real machine language, we are going to use something called the Little Computer to see what a program is like at this level. Read about the Little Computer in the CS160Reader. (Just one page - there is more about the Little Computer that we will tackle next week.)
  • Do the practice problems from LMCWorksheet 1. File and key available in Files link below.
    You will need to make use of this Little Computer simulator

Algorithm of the Week: Error Detection & Correction

  • Read Ch 5 of Nine Algorithms That Changed the Futurek
  • The CS160 Reader has some optional material on how credit card numbers and book ISBN numbers include check sums.

Assignment

Questions - these are the questions, do not submit this document.
Answer Document template - you should use this to write up your answers to the questions. This is what you submit.