CSC103 Weekly Schedule Fall 2012

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--D. Thiebaut 12:05, 21 August 2012 (EDT)


Wikis | Weekly Schedule | Main Page


Office Hours: Tu-Th: 2:00-4:00 p.m. and by appointment.

Weekly Schedule

Week Topics Reading
Week 1
9/6
  • Thursday
    • Introduction to the class and the 1/2 semester
    • Organization of the class
    • a short movie to get the discussion started...
    • some examples of computers:


AbacusWolfram.png


DifferenceEngine.jpg


DifferenceEngineDetail.jpg


DNAComputer.png


Antikythera.jpg
Antikythera mechanism, oldest computer


(start at 1min 47sec)

DoubleHelix.jpg
Harvard research: 1.8 zettabytes in 4 grams of DNA


    • Keywords:
      • code: Translating from one system of values to another system.
    • Electricity
    • The Binary System: a system where the only two numbers available are 0 and 1. Every operation that we can do in decimal, with 10 digits, we can also do in binary.
    • The Transistor: A switch controlled by electricity.
    • Two giants for computer science:
      • George Boole (1779-1848): logic expression = boolean expression. Logic: creating formulas where variables are combined by operators. The variables are boolean variables, the operators are logic operators. Any formula can be represented with a combination of just three operators: AND, OR, and NOT.



Week 2
9/11
World 1
(Logic)
World 2
(Technology)
World 3
(Math)
George Boole (1779-1848)

Expressions that can be True or False
Operators to combine expressions
And, Or, Not

Electricity

Switches (transistors)
ON/OFF
The idea of a code

Number systems

Decimal: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Binary: 0, 1

    • Logic: truth tables for AND, OR, and NOT operators
    • Counting in decimal
    • Counting in base 8: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, ... 76, 77, 100, 101, ...
    • Interesting published research result: U. Penn designs first optical gate


  • Thursday
    • Counting in base 2 (binary)
    • Adding in decimal
    • Adding in base 2
Week 3
9/18
  • Tuesday
    • Q&A
    • Review addition in base 2
    • Claude Shannon (1916-2001): writes a Master's thesis at MIT in 1948, which states that any binary numerical computation can be performed using logic expressions and logic operators. "The whole digital revolution started with [Shannon]"[1]
270KitWithArduino.jpg

Week 4
9/25





Week 5
10/2
  • Tuesday
    • Some comments about the current homework.
    • Creating a Wiki. Demonstration and introduction to the next homework assignment.
    • Quick summary of PC Demolition Lab. What you needed to discover:
      • The processor
      • The Crystal
      • The Random Access Memory (RAM)
      • The power supply
      • The mother board
      • The hard disk
      • The optical disk (DVD/CD player/burner)
      • The Wiring
      • Various Ports
    • How hard disks work:
    • Disassembling a PC:
    • Video about the first personal computer (a bit of history!)


Week 6
10/9
  • Tuesday: Fall Break
CookieMonsterDeleteCookie.jpg















  • Reading
    • Primary
      • Jon von Neumann, who first defined the architecture of modern computers. We are still building computers according to his original unpublished draft
    • Secondary
Week 7
10/16




Week 8
10/23

  • Reading/viewing
    • And if you think the idea of the singularity is interesting and want to see how somebody pushes the idea even farther, watch this TED talk by Susan Blackmore!



References

  1. Bell Labs digital guru dead at 84 — Pioneer scientist led high-tech revolution (The Star-Ledger, obituary by Kevin Coughlin 27 February 2001)








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