Fundamentals of Digital Systems

Part I: Number Systems

Digital systems are built from circuits that process binary digits (zeros and ones). This part of the course aims to show how familiar numeric quantities can be represented and manipulated in a digital system. We will describe binary number systems and show how addition and subtraction are performed.

Part II: Digital Logic and Design with Verilog

Binary logic circuits have the dominant role in digital technology. We will discover logic gates and expressions, combinational and sequential logic elements, and build state machines. We will design and simulate logic circuits in Logisim-Evolution and Verilog hardware description language.

Part III: Intro to Computer Architecture

We will discover the fundamental building blocks of computers and how they are organized. On one side, we will study a basic processor architecture and the RISC-V open-standard ISA. On the other, we will discuss the future of computing and the role of domain-specific architectures. The basics of FPGA architecture and design flow will also be covered.