Introduction to Computer Organization: ARM	placeholder cover

Introduction to Computer Organization: ARM

by Robert G. Plantz
December 2024, 512 pp.
ISBN-13: 
9781718502741
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Download Chapter 11: Inside the Main Function

All high-level languages are ultimately translated into machine instructions that control a computer's hardware. Introduction to Computer Organization: ARM reveals exactly how that hardware works "under the hood." Written for anyone familiar with basic programming concepts, the reader is taken through the machine's architecture from the bottom up and the software on down—with a special focus on the ARM instruction set commonly found in smartphones, laptops, and tablets.

Beginning with an exploration of modern computing's mathematical foundations—including the binary system and Boolean algebra—the book introduces hardware components such as circuits, CPU, and memory. Later chapters discuss how software controls hardware, providing an in-depth look at the basic programming constructs in low-level languages like C and C++. Finally, readers are shown how the computer's compiler translates code into assembly language that can directly access the instruction set architecture.

Author Bio 

Robert G. Plantz was a professor at Sonoma State for 21 years, teaching a variety of core computing classes. He started his career designing electronics for the horizon scanners on the Gemini spacecraft and Apollo Lunar Module. After that, he got his PhD in electrical engineering at UC Berkeley, and went on to work as a software engineer for eight years before becoming an educator.

Table of contents 

Acknowledgments 
Introduction 

Chapter 1: Setting the Stage
Chapter 2: Data Storage Formats 
Chapter 3: Computer Arithmetic
Chapter 4: Boolean Algebra
Chapter 5: Logic Gates
Chapter 6: Combinational Logic Circuits
Chapter 7: Sequential Logic Circuits
Chapter 8: Memory
Chapter 9: Central Processing Unit
Chapter 10: Programming in Assembly Language
Chapter 11: Inside the main Function
Chapter 12: Instruction Details
Chapter 13: Control Flow Constructs 
Chapter 14: Inside Subfunctions
Chapter 15: Special Uses of Subfunctions
Chapter 16: Bitwise Logic, Multiplication, and Division Instructions
Chapter 17: Data Structures
Chapter 18: Object-Oriented Programming
Chapter 19: Fractional Numbers
Chapter 20: Input/Output
Chapter 21: Exceptions and Interrupts
Index

The chapters in red are included in this Early Access PDF.

Reviews 

"Forged in the furnace of the classroom, this book enables students to synthesize, comprehend and create their own assembler programs. The process [Robert Plantz] leads them though is quite elegant, building from the basics into the vast world of software and hardware — from binary, discrete math, Boolean algebra, logic, and assembler, to infinity and beyond. 

There are 10 kinds of people who understand binary. When finished with this book you will know what camp you are in."
—Dale Phillips, Professor of Computer Science at Modesto Junior College

"Provides an excellent introduction to the ARM assembly language. It contains the perfect mix of theory and examples to help students understand and apply the concepts. I highly recommend this book."
— Duy Nguyen, Professor of Computer Science at Palomar College