EXAMINATION

FACULTY OF SCIENCE AAND TECHNOLOGY

PROGRAMME(S): DIT/BIT/ BCS/BSF

SESSION: DAY
MODULE CODE AND TITLE: LEVEL
DIT 1205, BCS 1102 DIT 1.2, BIT 1.2, BCS 1.2, BSE 1.2
Computer Organization & Architecture
DATE: TIME:
February, 2024 01:00 PM – 07:00 PM

DURATION: TOTAL MARKS:

6 HOURS 100

EXAMINER/ LECTURER: MODERATOR:

MR. SSEMWOGERERE JOSEPH DR. KAKEETO DAVID
MARY

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE CANDIDATE/ STUDENT

1. V-class is the ONLY official examination platform.
2. Questions must be attempted in the answer booklet/sheet provided on V-class.
3. All queries should be directed to the examiner, Head of Department, or Dean.
4. You have SIX HOURS to complete this paper. No exam answer sheet shall be accepted after the 6
hours (the system has closed).
5. This is an OPEN BOOK (Online) examination.
6. Attempt 4 Questions in total. All questions carry equal marks (25 marks each).
7. All questions are COMPULSORY
8. Read each question carefully before beginning to type/write your answers.
9. Review the grades assigned to each question of the examination and allocate your
time accordingly.
10. Review your answers carefully before submitting your examination.
11. After submitting your exam answer sheet, Cross-Check to ensure your examination was
attached and sent to V-class and received a confirmation message.

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 Section A
Answer All Questions
LOGIC CIRCUITS DESIGN

Having obtained a first class degree in Information Technology from Victoria University, Dickson
Otim was immediatelly employed by Alpha & Omega, a renowned company in the country for
manufacturing computer products, including both Hardwares and softwares.
Dickson was put in a section specialising in manufacturing mainly hardwares that could solve a
number of problems. Some of the logic circuits they used to design mostly could perform simple
arithmetic operations, as well as circuits that could perfom logical comparisons. Since he was a
fresh graduate with fresh ideas he was expected to guide all the other designers in order to develop
the most up todate and modern circuits.
Since Dickson was the leader and most educated employee, he was assigned the role of the Systems
Analyst of the department. He was expected to receive requests / specifications from the clients, re-
define the requests into a format that could be designed, decide whether the requested circuit could
be designed or not and then commmunicate to his colleagues the best solution to take in fulfilling
the client’s request. In the course of his experience he realised that the circuits to be designed could
be classified as either Combinatorial Circuits or Sequential Circuits.

QUESTION ONE
(a) Give the Arithmetic and the logical computations that were expected to be solved using the
logic circuits from Alpha & Omega. (4 marks)

(b) Give examples of any three Combinatorial Circuits and any two Sequential circuits that could
be designed by Alpha & Omega. (4 marks)

(c) Explain clearly the steps that Dickson will recommend to his colleagues that have to be
followed when designing a Combinatorial circuit and the tools that are used for each step.
(4 marks)

(d) (i) What is the basic difference between Combinatorial circuits and Sequential Circuits?
(2 marks)
(ii) Explain clearly how a basic Combinatorial circuit can be modified to generate a
sequential circuit. (4 marks)

(iii) Explain briefly how Dickson and his colleagues would design a circuit that adds two
binary numbers where each number has two bits (i.e. A1A0 + B1B0) (3 marks)

(iv) Draw a logical diagram for the circuit described in part (iii) above. (4 marks)

(Total 25 marks)

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QUESTION TWO
(a) A client requested for a circuit that should take in three inputs X, Y and Z and that it should
output a 0 if the majority of the inputs are 1’s, otherwise it should output 1’s. Design the
requested circuit and explain all the steps needed to generate the circuit. (8 marks)

(b) Another client requested for a 2 bit greater than comparator (A1A0 > B1B0). Explain how it
will de designed and draw the corresponding logical diagram. (8 marks)

(c) While solving a certain problem, one of Dickson’s friends came up with the design below.
A
B

Dickson however thought that a better and simpler design could be developed to solve the
same problem.
(i) Mention the factors that were considered by Dickson to come up with his suggestion.
(3 marks)
(ii) Draw a simpler design which Dickson thought could solve the same problem. (3 marks)
__
(d) Prove that AB(A + B) = A + B (3 marks)

(Total 25 marks)

Section B
Answer Any two questions
QUESTION THREE
(a) (i) Many people define a computer according to the functions it performs without
considering the basic principles that govern the organisation of the computer. Suggest
any two different definitions of the computer to support this statement. (4 marks)

(ii) Computers come in many shapes and sizes, and they perform many different functions
in our daily lives. Give any five categories of computers according to their shapes and
sizes and explain where each category is mostly used. (5 marks)

(b) Necessity is the mother of invention. Explain any three types of early computers that were
developed because of a particular need and briefly explain what that need was. (6 marks)

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(c) Computer Architecture is not necessarily the same as Conputer Organization. Explain briefly
whether the following computer attributes apply to Computer Organization or Computer
Architecture:
(i) The size of the Computers
(ii) The design of the computers.
(iii) The speed of the computer
(iv) The methods used to find the inputs to or outputs from the computer.
(v) The number of registers used in a computer. (5 marks)
(d) Explain briefly why each of the following categories of people will need concepts of
Computer Organization and Architecture:
(i) A manager of a Computer Department of one of the big organizations in the country.
(ii) A lecturer teaching Computer Programming.
(iii) A technician selling CD’s or DVD’s on Kampala Road.
(iv) A new Computer Science / Information Technology student at a university.
(v) A technician specializing in Computer Repair. (5 marks)
.
(Total 25 marks)

QUESTION FOUR
(a) Convert the given numbers to base ten from the given bases:
(i) 100111.1012
(ii) 157.368
(iii) 17DA.F16 (2 marks@)

(b) Convert the base ten number 765.2510 to the given bases:
(i) Binary
(ii) Octal (Base 8)
(iii) Hexadecimal (Base 16) (2 marks@)

(c) Solve the following:

(i) 111110102 (ii) 110012 x 10012 (iii) 158916
- 100101112 - ADD16 (2 marks@)

(b) Convert -10011.112 to:

(i) Typical 32-bit Floating Point Format (2 marks)
(ii) Single Precision IEEE / INTEL Floating Point Format (2 marks)
(iii) Double Precision IEEE / INTEL Floating Point Format (3 marks

(Total 25 marks)

QUESTION FIVE
(a) You are given two numbers A = 10011010 and B = 01100011; find A + B assuming that they
are:
(i) Ordinary Binary numbers (2 marks)
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 (ii) Sign Magnitude numbers (2 marks)
(iii) 2’s Complement Numbers (2 marks)

(b) Convert the following numbers from their given formats to base ten
(i) 11001111 (Sign Magnitude Number) (2 marks)
(ii) 10011101 (Two’s Complement Number) (2 marks)
(iii) 85DE0000 (Typical 32-bit Floating Point Format) (3 marks)
(iv) 413C0000 (INTEL/ IEEE Floating Point Format) (3 marks)

(c) Perform the following Conversions using the ASCII codes provided in the Appendix.
(i) The text Our VU! to Hexadecimal, then to Binary (4 marks)

(ii) The Binary string 1010100110100011000011101110110101110110011101111

1110101 to Hexadecimal, then to Text. : (5 marks)

(Total 25 marks)

QUESTION SIX
(a) (i) Write a formula from which the following Karnaugh map is derived (2 marks)
AB
00 01 11 10
C 0 1 0 0 1
1 0 1 1 0

(ii) Derive a corresponding Truth Table (2 marks)

(iii) Derive the corresponding SUM OF PRODUCTS expression (2 marks)
(iv) Derive the corresponding PRODUCT OF SUMS expression (2 marks)
(v) Simplify the expression (2 marks)
(vi) Draw a corresponding logical diagram. (2 marks)
(vii) Simplify the expression again assuming that there are now some Don’t care cases
described by the Function d(A, B, C) = Σ(2,5, 6) (2 marks)

(b) (i) How many control lines would you need to design a 7- 1 multiplexer? (2 marks)
(ii) Design a three to one multiplexer (3 marks)
(iii) Design a one to three demultiplexer. (3 marks)

(c) Sequential circuits have internal states that can be used to store information and modify their
inputs. What are these Internal states? (3 marks)

(Total 25 marks)

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