Week1_Lecture-2-Computer-Hierarchy-Computer-Models_compressed.pdf

Lecture 2
• Last Lecture
– Computer Organization vs. Computer Architecture
– Principle of equivalence of hardware and software
– Computer Evolution
– Moore’s Law vs. Rock’s Law
– Main Components of a Computer
– Measures of Capacity, Speed, Time, Space
• Today’s Lecture
– The Computer Level Hierarchy
– The Von Neumann Model
– Non-Von Neumann Model
1

2
• Computer organization
– Encompasses all physical aspects of computer systems.
– E.g., circuit design, control signals, memory types.
– How does a computer work?
• Computer architecture
– Logical and abstract of system implementation as seen by the programmer.
– E.g., instruction sets, instruction formats, data types, addressing modes,
memory access methods, and I/O mechanisms.
– How do I design a computer?
• Principle of Equivalence of Hardware and Software :
– Any task done by software can also be done using hardware, and any
operation performed directly by hardware can be done using software.*
Computer Organization vs. Architecture
* Assuming speed is not a concern.