All about Computers
Note: The Coursemology tutorial training for computing topics usually consists of followup questions on the tutorial discussion. So, you should attempt the training only after trying out the tutorial questions and / or after attending the tutorial session.
1. [Von Neumann Architecture] Identify the key components (Processor, Memory and I/O devices) for one of the computing devices you own, e.g. handphone, tablet, game console etc. Share your findings with the class.
Discuss how the following items can be understood as the result of applying the same principle:
(a) Function in C.
(b) Other “higher level programming languages” like Python, Ruby, Swift etc. (In this case, we refers to the seemingly much more powerful syntax of these languages).
3. The instruction set architecture can be understood as the interface sandwiched between the software and hardware:
Software
Instruction Set Architecture
Hardware
For each of the following scenarios, explain whether the executable can run normally when moved to a new setup:
Current Setup New Setup
Your “Hello World” C++ program compiled on your Windows laptop. The executable is “Hello.exe”. The “Hello.exe” executable is copied to the lab Windows machine to run.
Your “Hello World” C++ program compiled on your Windows laptop. The executable is “Hello.exe”. The “Hello.exe” executable is copied to your mobile phone (iOS or Android) to run.
Your C++ source code e.g. “HelloWorld.cpp” The “HelloWorld.cpp” source code is copied can compile and run on the lab machine. to a macOS laptop. g++ (a C++ compiler) is used to compile the source code.
1
Your “Hello World” C++ program compiled on your macOS laptop. The “Hello” executable is copied to the lab Windows machine to run.
A Java program is compiled on your macOS laptop, producing an executable
Hello.class. The Java executable Hello.class is copied to the lab Windows machine to run.
A Python program Hello.py is written and executed on your macOS laptop. The same Python program Hello.py is copied to the lab Windows machine to run.
