Quiz 1  Introduction of Information and Communication Engineering


A quiz of the topic "Computer System Engineering"

Do all questions (or as much as you can) in 30 minutes.

1  A computer composed of hardware and software.  Can you describe the distinction between them?  When a piece of program is stored in a memory chip, what is hardware and what is software?

2  A computer is useful exactly because it is programmable.  Moreover, its programmability makes it "universal" that is it can do almost everything (an overstatement).  What is the different between a computer simulation and a real world?  In a computer racing game car, a car running through a simulated world, it is just a movie.  However let's consider the following scenario.  A real car is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU).  The program in ECU can be changed so that a car can accerelate faster.  I claim that the world also change when I change ECU's program.  Discuss my claim, whether you agree or disagree with it and why do you think so.

3  A compiler translates a "source" program into a "machine" program. A "token" of a source is translated exactly into two "machine" numbers. Here is my rules of translation:

                source           machine

number           10 number
+                20 0
print            30 0
a                40 1
b                40 2
c                40 3
->               50 0

an example
  print a + 1

is rearranged to (a postfix form)

  a 1 + print

and translated to a machine program sequence as follows:

    40 1
  10 1
  20 0
  30 0

Now, please "compile" the following source:

    b + c -> a
  a + 1 -> a
  print a

I will rearrange it to the postfix form for you,

  b c + a ->
  a 1 + a ->
  a print

Write the machine program of the above "source".

4  An ALU is a unit that performs arithmetic and logic functions on binary numbers.  For example:

  101
  001  +
  ----
  110

Follow your own logic of thinking and try to add these two numbers:

   1011
  0101  +
  -----



The end

Enjoy my brain teaser!
Prabhas Chongstitvatana