CSE 378 Assignment 2

CSE 378, Autumn 1998

Assignment #2

Due: Wednesday, Oct 7th, 1998

Chapter 1 questions. Although the history of computers is not the topic of this class, you should have some vague idea of how the field advanced, and the material in the first chapter gives a good overview.

1. Why is the term "von Neumann machine" perhaps not the best?

2. The performance axis (Y) in Figure 1.20 is SPECMarks, a unit to be explained later in the term. The (actual) SPECMark=1 computer used to calibrate these numbers is on the west end of 4th floor of Sieg Hall. How big is its cache? (You'll have to go see it to answer this.)

3. What is the oldest or most primitive computer you have used?

Chapter 3 questions.

loop:   lw   $v1,0($a0)       # read the next word from source
        addi $v0,$v0,1        # increment count
        sw   $v1,0($a1)       # write to destination
        addi $a0,$a0,4        # advance pointer to next souce
        addi $a1,$a1,4        # advance pointer to next destination
        bne  $v1,$zero,loop   # loop if word copied is not zero

4. Using the above MIPS program, determine the instruction format for each instruction, and the decimal values of each instruction field. (Hint: You'll need to read Section 3.8 to determine the values of the instruction fields for the bne instruction).

5.Answer Questions 3.2, 3.4 and 3.5 in the book.