This course provides a comprehensive understanding of how computers are built and function at the hardware level. Beginning with the basics of digital logic, logic gates, and circuits, the course gradually moves into computer organization, processor design, control mechanisms, and memory structures. Students will learn how abstract logic designs translate into practical computing systems and how hardware decisions impact performance and efficiency.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. Explain the principles of digital logic design and analyze logic gates, truth tables, and Boolean algebra.

2. Design and evaluate combinational circuits (adders, multiplexers, decoders, encoders, etc.).

3. Analyze and implement sequential circuits (flip-flops, registers, counters, finite state machines).

4. Understand the fundamentals of computer organization including instruction set architecture, CPU components, and data path design.

5. Differentiate between hardwired and microprogrammed control units, and describe their role in instruction execution.

6. Explain memory organization and hierarchy (cache, main memory, virtual memory, and secondary storage).

7. Evaluate performance trade-offs in processor design, memory systems, and control structures.

8. Apply theoretical concepts to practical scenarios through lab experiments and simulation tools (e.g., Logisim, HDL, or assembly programming exercises).