Summary

Let’s briefly review the topics we’ve discussed and learned about in the chapters of this book:

• In Chapter 1, Introducing Computer Architecture, we began with the earliest design of an automated computing machine, Babbage’s Analytical Engine, and traced the course of digital computer history from the earliest vacuum tube-based computers to the first generations of processors. We also learned about the architecture of an early, but still prevalent, microprocessor: the 6502.
• In Chapter 2, Digital Logic, we learned the basics of transistor technology, digital logic, registers, and sequential logic. We also discussed the use of hardware description languages in the development of complex digital devices.
• Chapter 3, Processor Elements, covered the fundamental components of processors, including the control unit, the ALU, and the register set. The chapter introduced concepts related to the processor instruction set, including details on...