gen = new Random » Computer Science http://www.gen.newrandom.com Random info for the Random user Mon, 15 Jun 2009 19:59:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 CSA 385 – Databases http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/30/csa-385-databases/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/30/csa-385-databases/#comments Tue, 30 Dec 2008 19:31:40 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=220 The rest of these notes are going to look messed up. Yeah, sorry but if you want the full version, you can find the OneNote package here. The notes being posted here are just to help search through the notebook without having to download it first.


- A DB has
1) A Structure
§ We can use "the relational notation" to describe Entity / Relationship Sets
§ Syntax: name of E/R Set (list of attributes)
§ EX:
□ STUDENT (SIDNO, SNAME, MAJOR)
□ ENROLLMENT (SIDNO, CNO, SEMESTER, YEAR, GRADE)

2) DB Semantics include information about:
a) E Sets
b) R Sets
c) Degree of each R Set
d) Mapping constraints of each R Set
e) Attributes for each E and R set
f) Domain sets for every attribute
g) Candidate keys for each E/R set
h) Data dependencies in each E/R set

- Mathematically, an E set (also a R set) is a subset of the Cartesian product of N domain sets corresponding to the attributes of the E/R set
○ EX:
§ Student [SSN X PEOPLE_NAMES X MAJORS
{<100, Tom, CSA>, <100, Jill, CSA>, <200, Jill, MTH> … }
§ X = "product of"
§ < … > = "sets of constructs"

○ Sets:
§ Explicit representation:
□ {a,b,c } = {c,b,a}
□ {a, b, a} = {a,b}
□ Every element is distinct and order is not important

§ If order is important, use the theory of relations
□ - ordered pair
® a and b are coordinates
® ≠
◊ <100, Tom, CSA> ≠
□ - ordered triple
□ - ordered quadruple
□ …

- ordered n-tuple

]]> http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/30/csa-385-databases/feed/ 0 Basic Concepts of Database Systems http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/basic-concepts-of-database-systems/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/basic-concepts-of-database-systems/#comments Sun, 28 Dec 2008 01:07:30 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=209 As with all the other notes, the full package is available here. Otherwise, the rest of this article includes the first set of notes which cover the Basic Concepts of Database Systems and include some of the definitions that were likely to show up on the first exam. These are word for word of what Dr. Uckan wrote on the board.

Basic Concepts of Database Systems

Wednesday, August 27, 2008
09:07

  • A DATABASE (DB) is a data-oriented model of subset of the universe
    of interest, called a "    miniworld"
  • In a miniworld, we are interested in:
  • Entities
  • Relationships
  • Events (time-varying
    relationships)
     
  • An ENTITY is an object, or a being, or an abstraction of
    interest, that can be distinguished from similar entities.
    • EX:
    •  A student in a college
    • An employee in a company
    • A DVD in my collection
    • A particular school of
      thought (e.g., existentialism) in philosophy
       
  • An ENTITY SET is a set of entities of the same type.
    • EX:
    • All students in a college
    • All human emotions
    • All books in a
      library
       
  • A RELATIONSHIP is an association (mapping) within, or between,
    or among several entity sets
    • EX:
    • A student enrolls in a class
    • A man marries a woman
    • A book belongs
      to       a
      student
       
  • A  RELATIONSHIP
    SET     is a set of
    all distinguishable relationships of all the same type.
    • EX:
    • Enrollment between students and
      courses
    • Is_married_to between Men and Women
    • Is_married_to in the set of people
    • Belongs_to between Students and
      Computers
       
  • A RELATIONSHIP
    (R)  SET cannot stand alone, and
    must rely on some ENTITY (E) SETS.
  • A R SET has a
    degree
    • The DEGREE of an R SET is
      the number of the E SETS on which the R set depends.
    • EX:
    • Enrollment is of degree 2
      (binary)
    • Is_married_to is binary or
      unary
    • Medical_Tests_Prescribed by
      Doctors for patients from Std. Medical_Tests is of degree 3 (i.e.
      ternary)
       
  • Mapping
    Properties (Mapping Constraints) for relationship sets specify in a
    semi-quantitative manner the number of entities involved in each
    relationship.
    • Types
    • One-to-One (1:1) (examples-
      Is_married_to (1:M or 1:∞)
    • Ex: Exclusive  ownership of Cars by People
    • One-to-Many
    • Many-to-Many
    • EX: Enrollment between
      Students and Courses
       
  • E and R sets are
    described by their attributes. An     ATTRIBUTE is a measurable or observable property of an E or R
    that takes its admissible values from on an associated     DOMAIN SET. A Domain Set is a set of
    acceptable values for an attribute.
    • ]]>     http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/basic-concepts-of-database-systems/feed/ 0     CSA 385 – Notes http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/csa-385-notes/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/csa-385-notes/#comments Sun, 28 Dec 2008 00:16:29 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=206 For this course it is best to be able to take notes in some sort of graphic utility in order to draw all the pictures he puts up on the board. Of course, if you’re not used to such a program, then obviously a good ol piece of pen and paper will do just fine too. However, I take all my notes in Microsoft’s OneNote™. If you want a copy of these notes, you can get them here. Otherwise I’ll make several posts of these notes as I upload them.

    The topics however will be as follows:
    - Basic Concepts of Database Systems
    - Databases
    - Design of a Simple Database
    - Identifying Identities and Relationships
    - The Entity-Relationship Database Model
    - Integrity Constraints
    - Quantifiers in Predicate Calculus
    - Views in Relational Systems
    - Deductive Databases
    - Deductive View
    - Relational Database Design
    - File Structures

    ]]>     http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/csa-385-notes/feed/ 0     CSA 385 – Database Systems http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/csa-385-database-systems/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/csa-385-database-systems/#comments Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:00:05 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=202 One of the curses of the CSA department is the infamous Database Systems course- CSA 385. Taught by, and only taught by, Dr. Yuksel Uckan, this class is the absolute definition of hell. As of taking this class this semester, I am proud to say that my extensive knowledge and experience of utilizing databases in a web and business environment was absolutely useless.

    First off, Oracle is your friend- the command line is not. If you want to save yourself the trouble of retyping over an over again commands into the command prompt when you create your databases, go ahead and download/install Oracle’s lovely GUI that – let’s face it – real people, in the real world, really use.

    Dr. Yuksel Uckan is stuck in the early 70’s where theory overruled practical implementation, so don’t expect to actually use your databases for anything. You will simply have 5 assignments where you enter sql and print what it spits back at you. Otherwise, your best bet is to focus 100% on his definitions: word for word. Wikipedia was my best friend for this class, but don’t expect to get an A copying down the Wikipedia definition (even though that definition might be scientifically accepted). Dr. Uckan’s definition is the only definition accepted (seriously, don’t question it). Which might I add is a bit rough when your first exam consists of quite a few definitions.

    Now a lot of people say he was really rude and obnoxious at his office hours and would provide little help. I have to say that was not my experience. If you are polite and show an eagerness to understand, then he will help you during his office hours- when he’s there. Realize this guy has probably been smoking since he walked out of the womb, so if he’s not there, wait 10 minutes because he’s not about to quit smoking because you want help on trying to understand existential quantification.

    Another peeve that I have is teachers not using blackboard. Everything you need from his class comes from his directory at http://handouts.eas.muohio.edu/uckany. In fact there is no blackboard for his course so you better be keeping track of your grades on your own. Some things to keep in mind though, your homework is not a very good study tool. Not because the homework doesn’t reflect some problems you will see on your exams, but because you may not get your homework back in time! Yes, there were many times when we would turn in homework and not see it again until after we took an exam.

    There were some incentives however this semester to combat his terrible teaching strategy – or lack there of. We had a make-up exam for our midterm because everyone but maybe 3-4 people failed it. Of course the makeup- aside from including four problems identical to the original- was equally challenging. Also, our final exam would replace our lowest exam score, and then count as our final exam. So our final counted twice. I was hoping to write this after our final grades came out, but they haven’t yet so I will hopefully get that up soon.

    If I could offer any real advice to anyone considering to take this course it would be: 1) look at what other people have said on “rate my professor” and 2) wait until he retires if you can. Really, he’s old, and a smoke break away from a heart attack. They have to find someone else to teach that course eventually! I might also add, these opinions are not only gripes of those who’ve taken his course, but there are some on the faculty who would agree with us.

    ]]>     http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/csa-385-database-systems/feed/ 0     CSA 385 – Databases http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/csa-385-databases-2/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/csa-385-databases-2/#comments Sat, 27 Dec 2008 19:30:06 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=218 CSA 385 Notes. More basic database concepts and definitions.

    Database

    Friday,
    August 29, 2008
    09:40

     

    Created with Microsoft Office OneNote
    2007
    One place for all your notes and information

    ]]>     http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/27/csa-385-databases-2/feed/ 0     CSA 278 – Sample Exams http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/csa-278-sample-exams/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/csa-278-sample-exams/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:22:34 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=186 We were given sample exams to study from which differed quite a bit from our actual midterm and final. The midterm exam is included but the final is not.

    Exam 1
    Exam 1 Study Guide (doc)
    Sample Exam 1 (doc)
    Sample Exam 1 Solutions (doc)
    Fall 2008 Exam 1 and Solutions to be added…

    Exam 2
    Exam 2 Study Guide (doc)
    Sample Exam 2 (doc)
    Sample Exam 2 Solutions (doc)
    Fall 2008 Exam 2 and Solutions (doc)

    Final Exam
    Final Exam Study Guide
    ]]>     http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/csa-278-sample-exams/feed/ 0     CSA 278 – Handouts http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/csa-278-handouts/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/csa-278-handouts/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2008 21:11:35 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=184 Handouts and solutions…

    • MultiSIM Components
    • MultiSIMComponentList.pdf (118.217 Kb)
    • This file provides a brief list of components available in MultiSIM along category information in which the components are available in MultiSIM.
    • Binrary Review
    • BinaryReview.pdf (241.948 Kb)
    • Here is a document that provides notes on various binary operations covered in the course, including:
      1. Representation & conversion of unsigned numbers
        1. Binary
        2. Octal
        3. Hexadecimal
      2. Representation & conversion of signed numbers
        1. 2’s complement only (does not cover SBM and 1’s complement yet)
      3. Bitwise operations
        1. Bitwise AND
        2. Bitwise OR
        3. Bitwise NOT
        4. Bitwise XOR
        5. Shift operation
        6. Shift to left
        7. Shift to right
    • Emacs Quick Reference Sheet
    • emacsreference.pdf (57.23 Kb)
    • This sheet provides a comprehensive list of commands that can be used in the editor emacs. This list is particularly useful if you are working with the non-graphical version of emacs.
    • Assembly Programming Under Linux
    • LinuxEvironment.pdf (1.22 Mb)
    • Here is a document that provides a detailed overview on the process and commands to be used for assembly language programming using the Linux operating system. The document covers the process of:
      1. Start X-Server (Xming) on your computer.
      2. SSH to the Linux server and login using PuTTY.
      3. Use shell commands to:
        1. Create a working directory (to ease file organization) the first time.
        2. Change current working directory to your course directory.
      4. Type your assembly program using emacs
        1. Emacs is a general purpose, graphical text editor that also provides a specialized environment for debugging programs using the GNU debugger (gdb).
      5. Assemble your source code using the GNU assembler (as)
        1. Use emacs to fix any syntax errors in your program.
      6. Link your source code using the GNU linker (ld) to generate the final executable
      7. Run the executable from the shell prompt
      8. Test, troubleshoot, and bug fix your programs
        1. You will need to run your program several times, thoroughly test your programs, and fix any semantic errors (aka bugs) in your program.
        2. For troubleshooting and debugging your program, you can run the GNU debugger (gdb) in emacs and step through each instruction in your assembly program verifying its operation(s).
    • Intel Instruction Set Manual (A-M)
    • 25366620.pdf (2.303 Mb)
    • Here is a quick reference to Intel’s x86 instruction set manual. This document contains instructions starting with the letter ‘A’ through ‘M’.
    • Intel Instruction Set Manual (N-Z)
    • 25366720.pdf (1.789 Mb)
    • Here is a quick reference to Intel’s x86 instruction set manual. This document contains instructions starting with the letter ‘N’ through ‘Z’.
    • Assembly conversion
    • JavaToAssembly.pdf (145.78 Kb)
    • Notes on converting Java programs to assembly.
    ]]>     http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/csa-278-handouts/feed/ 0     CSA 278 – Exercises http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/exercises/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/exercises/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2008 20:29:16 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=178 Here are the exercises and their solutions. Be mindful that this is for educational purposes only. I am not including these that, if for some reason they should be reused in future courses, that they may be freely copied and distributed.

    1. Exercise #1
    2. Exercise #2
    3. Exercise #3
    4. Exercise #4
      • Typical solution logic circuit (MultiSIM model) (74.74 Kb)
      • Altenerative Solution (MultiSIM model) (73.021 Kb)
      • Exercise4_Solutions.doc (123 Kb)
      • Exercise4.doc (47 Kb)
      • Exercise #4 required the development of a logic circuit to identify vowels (as per a given logic encoding) using MultiSIM. Here is the exercise document, solution document, and MultiSim design files for your immediate reference.
    5. Exercise #5
    6. Exercise #6
      • Exercise6.doc (40.5 Kb)
      • Exercise6.ms10 (85.966 Kb)
      • Lab exercise (combination of hand written exercies and logic circuit from MultiSIM) on developing a circuit to permit any one of 4 switches to control any one of 4 probes.
    7. Exercise #7
    8. Exercise #8
      • Exercise8_Solution.doc (44.5 Kb)
      • Exercise8.doc (33.5 Kb)
      • Hand written exercise on converting numbers from decimal to binary, octal, and hex(adecimal) [not collected for grading]
    9. Exercise #9
      • Revised schematic (solution) (99.316 Kb)
      • Starting MultiSIM schematic (89.711 Kb)
      • Exercise on using MultiSIM to convert a Ripple Carry Adder circuit to a Adder/Subtractor circuit.
    10. Exercise #10
    11. Exercise #11
    12. Exercise #12
    13. Exercise #13
    14. Exercise #14
    15. Exercise #15
    16. Exercise #16
      • Exercise16.doc (54.5 Kb)
      • tree_solution.s (2.217 Kb)
      • tree.s (1.604 Kb)
      • Lab exercise on printing a varying number of *s on the screen.
    17. Exercise #17
    18. Exercise #18
      • Exercise18.doc (43 Kb)
      • Solution Assembly Source (1.598 Kb)
      • Lab exercise on modifying an assembly language program to operate with strings.
    19. Exercise #19
      • Exercise19.doc (39.5 Kb)
      • strrev_solution.s (4.066 Kb)
      • Exercise on reversing a string.
    20. Exercise #20
    21. Exercise #21
    ]]>     http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/exercises/feed/ 0     CSA 278 – Lectures http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/lectures/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/lectures/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2008 19:34:28 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=169 Along with the rest of the course documents for CSA 278, here are the powerpoint lectures.

    1. Administrative Priliminaries
      • AdminPreliminaries.ppt (128.5 Kb)
      • Here are a few slides covering just the salient course information and policies. You are expected to review the detailed information and policy documents available under “Syllabus & Policies” section off Blackboard.
    2. Introduction (Chapter 1)
      • Introduction.ppt (652.5 Kb)
      • Here are slides motivating computer architecture, the core components in a modern PC, and introducing the topics to be covered in this course.
    3. Boolean Algebra
    4. Logic Gates & Logic Circuits (Part 1)
      • LogicCircuits.ppt (482 Kb)
      • Here are slides on logic gates and developing logic circuits (aka schematics).
    5. Logic Circuits (Part 2)
    6. Number Representation
    7. Binary Addition
      • BinaryAddition.ppt (299 Kb)
      • Lecture slides on binary addition and logic circuit(s) to do addition.
    8. Signed Number Representation
      • SignedNumbers.ppt (246 Kb)
      • Lecture notes covering signed-binary number representations including:
        • Sign-bit Magnitude (SMB)
        • 1’s complement
        • 2′ complement
        • Logic circuits for subtraction
    9. ALU & CPU
      • ALU.ppt (516.5 Kb)
      • Introduction to ALU leading to CPU.
    10. ALU + Memory
      • ALU2.ppt (465 Kb)
      • Slides covering integration between ALU and Memory
    11. Introduction to Assembly language
      • AssemblyIntro.ppt (285.5 Kb)
      • Here are slides introducing the generic concepts underlying assembly language programming.
    12. Assembly on x86 processors
      • x86_Part1.ppt (536 Kb)
      • Lecture slides introducing the concept of programming an x86 processor in assembly language.
    13. x86 (Part 2)
      • x86_Part2.ppt (206 Kb)
      • Comparison and conditional jump instructions.
    14. Memory Addressing Modes & Strings
      • x86_Part3.ppt (275 Kb)
      • Here are lecture slides covering various memory addressing modes supported by the x86 processor along with their application to string processing.
    15. Stack operations, Functions, & Interrupts
      • CallandInt.ppt (231.5 Kb)
      • Lecture slides covering stack operations and functions in assembly. The lecture slides also cover the concept of interrupts and their operations.
    16. Pipelining
      • Pipelining.ppt (204 Kb)
      • Slides on fundamental concept of pipelining, hazards (data, control, & structural), super scalar processors and introduction to CPI.
    17. Quantitative Performance Comparisons
      • CPI.ppt (183 Kb)
      • Slides on quantitatively comparing performance of CPUs
    ]]>     http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/lectures/feed/ 0     CSA 278 – Assignments http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/assignments/ http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/assignments/#comments Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:13:53 +0000 Josh http://www.gen.newrandom.com/?p=166 I’ve uploaded all the assignments we had for Computer Architecture (CSA 278). They are available on my public server as well: Assignments. Continue reading this article for brief descriptions of each assignment.

    • Assignment #1
    • Assignment1_Solution.doc (45.5 Kb)
    • Assignment1.doc (45.5 Kb)
    • Files related to assignment #1 on history and basic terminology of modern PCs.
  • Assignment #2
    • Assignment2_Solution.doc (58.5 Kb)
    • Assignment2.doc (42.5 Kb)
    • Assignment covering basics of Boolean algebra including: developing turth tables, constructing Boolean equations, evaluating Boolean equations, and translating English statements to Boolean equations.
  • Assignment #3
    • Assignment3_Solutions.doc (69 Kb)
    • Assignment3.doc (50.5 Kb)
    • Assignment3_SimpleComputer.ms10 (73.12 Kb)
    • Assignment on drawing logic circuits (including the Tea Kettle and Simple Computer circuits)
  • Assignment #4
    • Assignment4_Solutions.doc (149 Kb)
    • Solutions for Assignment #4
  • Assignment #5
    • Assignment5_Solutions.doc (113 Kb)
    • Assignment5.doc (95 Kb)
    • Assignment #5 along with solutions.
  • Assignment #6
    • Assignment6_Solutions.doc (149 Kb)
    • Assignment6.doc (98 Kb)
    • Assignment on x86 assembly concepts and simple arithmetic operations.
  • Assignment #7
    • Assignment7.doc (62.5 Kb)
    • Assignment7_sphere.s (4.689 Kb)
    • Documents and solutions associated with programming assignment on displaying the radius of a sphere.
  • Assignment #8 — StringDeletion in Java & Assembly
    • Assignment8_StrDel.java (1.133 Kb)
    • Assignment8_strdel.s (6.113 Kb)
    • Here is the completed method for deleting an array of characters in Java for your reference. In addition, I have uploaded the solution in assembly as well.
  • Assignment #9
    • Assignment9_Solutions.doc (124.5 Kb)
    • Assignment9.doc (105 Kb)
    • Questions and solutions for Assignment #9
    ]]>     http://www.gen.newrandom.com/2008/12/26/assignments/feed/ 0