Midterm Exam Topic List
The midterm exam covers the material in Sections 1.1-1.11, 2.1-2.14, and 3.1-3.4 from the book, as well as Sections A.5-A.6 in Appendix A. The emphasis will be on:
- Performance calculations
- The "classic" performance equation
- CPI
- Using equation and/or CPI to solve problems like those on Assignment #1
- MIPS programming
- Exam will test comprehension, but not expect you to write MIPS code
- Basic set of MIPS instructions (see sheet at end of old exam)
- Branches and jumps
- Supporting procedures (stack stuff, calling conventions, $a and $v registers, $ra)
- (No need to remember syscalls, .text directives, or representations of instructions)
- Integer Representations
- Representing unsigned binary integers
- 2's Complement signed binary integers
- Addition and subtraction on signed and unsigned integers
- Overflow issues on signed and unsigned integers
- Negating signed integers
- Floating-point Representations
- Basic layout of a BradFloat
- Converting between BradFloat notation and base-10 decimal values