| Topic | Reading | Recommended Exercises |
|---|---|---|
| Transistors | DDCA 1.6-1.7 | 1.60-1.64 |
| Boolean Logic | DDCA 2.1, 2.2, 2.4, 2.7 | 2.1-2.4, 2.7 and 2.9 (simplify using k-maps only), 2.15, 2.19-2.20, 2.23 (relevant to lab) |
This week's reading, again, has two major components: a very high-level summary of the dominant technology we use to implement computing hardware (Ch 1.6-1.7) and an introduction to the mathematical model that we are using to represent low-level hardware structures (Ch 2). Next week, we'll continue to work with boolean logic to create increasingly complex structures.
Like last week, I recommend beginning by looking at the recommended exercises to see what you'll need to learn. Then, skim the section headers and figures to figure out what the text covers. Finally, identify relevant examples and read in depth as you tackle each exercise in turn.
Section 1.6 and the beginning of section 1.7 is good background material. (If you were electical engineers, you would need to know how transistors work ... also, if you're interested in overclocking your processor, this material explains why you might be able to -- and why you run into problems if you increase the clock too much.) However, the focus, for you, should be on using transistors to build logic, so sections 1.7.5, 1.7.6, and 1.7.8 are the most relevant to you. By the end of the section, do you understand figures 1.32-1.34? Why, in particular, do you need the pull-down network component of those two figures?
This reading skips around a bit. You may wish to skim the sections we're skipping, to see what we're ignoring. In section 2.3, the text describes how to use boolean axioms to simplify equations. (We'll use Karnaugh maps, instead, and then jump into design next week.) Section 2.5 discusses multi-level logic and methods for pushing NOT gates ("bubbles") through the system to simply circuits. Section 2.6 introduces error and "floating value" states.
Our focus is in the use of boolean equations to model circuits (sections 2.1, 2.2, and 2.4) and how to find minimal circuits (2.7). The key questions you need to answer from this section are, "What is a combinational circuit?", "How do I read a circuit diagram?", "How do I read a boolean equation from a truth table? (in one of the two canonical forms)", "How do I translate a boolean equation into a circuit and vice versa?", and finally, "How do I create a minimal size circuit using a Karnaugh map?"
Pay particular attention to the exercises and figures in these sections, as they can help you clarify tricky terms. For example, "What is a minterm?" Figures 2.9 and 2.13 show the differences between in and max terms.