Quiz1 of Computer Architecture (2021 Fall)

--- tags: computer-arch --- # Quiz1 of Computer Architecture (2021 Fall) :::info :information_source: General Information * You are allowed to read [lecture materials](http://wiki.csie.ncku.edu.tw/arch/schedule). * That is, an open book exam. * You shall not disclose your answer during the quiz. * Each answer has 5 points. * :timer_clock: 09:10 ~ 10:20AM on Oct 5, 2021 * Fill ==[Google Form](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyoG_in7N1v2YTxca12gxO7wWwmdgHHrrwrIIFxKkwWztKxg/viewform)== to answer ::: ## Problem `A` [Two's Complement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two%27s_complement) is the standard for representing signed integers: * The most significant bit (MSB) has a negative value; all others have positive values (same as unsigned) * Binary addition is performed the same way for signed and unsigned * The bit representation for the negative (additive inverse) of a two's complement number can be found by: - flipping all the bits and adding `1` (i.e.`-x = ~x + 1`). ![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/ry-ws0uEt.png) The above "number wheel" showing the relationship between 4-bit numerals and their [Two's Complement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two%27s_complement) interpretations is shown on the right: * The largest number is `7` whereas the smallest number is `-8` * There is a nice symmetry between numbers and their negative counterparts except for `-8` This section is designed as a conceptual check for you to determine if you conceptually understand and have any misconceptions about this topic. Please answer **Yes** / **No** to the following questions: 1. Is it possible to get an overflow error in [Two's Complement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two%27s_complement) when adding numbers of opposite signs? > * A01 = ? 2. If you interpret a $N$ bit [Two's Complement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two%27s_complement) number as an unsigned number, would negative numbers be smaller than positive numbers? > * A02 = ? 3. If you interpret an $N$ bit [Bias notation](https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/aeronautics-and-astronautics/16-01-unified-engineering-i-ii-iii-iv-fall-2005-spring-2006/comps-programming/number_systems.pdf) number as an unsigned number (assume there are negative numbers for the given bias), would negative numbers be smaller? > * A03 = ? --- ## Problem `B` Arithmetic overflow occurs when the result of a calculation can't be represented in the current encoding scheme (i.e., it lies outside of the representable range of values), resulting in an incorrect value. * Unsigned overflow: the result lies outside of $[UMin, UMax]$; an indicator of this is when you add two numbers and the result is smaller than either number. * Signed overflow: the result lies outside of $[TMin, TMax]$; an indicator of this is when you add two numbers with the same sign and the result has the opposite sign. ![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/S1ndpR_EY.png) 1. Find the largest 8-bit unsigned numeral `c` (answer in HEX) such that `c + 0x80` causes NEITHER signed nor unsigned overflow in 8 bits. > * B01 = ? 2. Find the smallest 8-bit numeral `c` (answer in HEX) such that `c + 0x71` causes signed overflow, but NOT unsigned overflow in 8 bits. > * B02 = ? --- ## Problem `C` According to IEEE 754 Floating Point Standard, the value of a real number can be represented in scientific binary notation as: $$ Value = (-1)^{sign} \times Mantissa_{2} \times 2^{Exponent} = (-1)^S \times 1.M_2 \times 2^{E-bias} $$ The binary representation for floating point values uses three fields: * `S`: encodes the sign of the number (0 for positive, 1 for negative) * `E`: encodes the exponent in **biased notation** with a bias of $2^{w-1}-1$ * `M`: encodes the mantissa (or significand, or fraction) – stores the fractional portion, but does not include the implicit leading `1`. ![](https://hackmd.io/_uploads/HkgOlyKNK.png) 1. Let’s say that we want to represent the number `3145728.125`~10~ (broken down as $2^{21} + 2^{20} + 2^{−3}$). Is it enough to represent this number single precision floating point? (Please answer **Yes** / **No**) > * C01 = ? 2. What is the decimal value of float `0x80000000`? (Answer with leading `+` and `-`) > * C02 = ? 3. What is the decimal value of float `0xFF94BEEF`? (Answer with leading `+` and `-`) > * C03 = ? 4. What is the decimal value of float `0x41180000`? (Answer with leading `+` and `-`) > * C04 = ? 5. What is the smallest positive value that can be stored using a single precision float? Answer in HEX value. (video: [How to Calculate Smallest Float Value in IEEE 754 Standard (Single Precision)](https://youtu.be/SMLcrWgE2sk)) > * C05 = ? 6. What is the smallest positive normalized value that can be stored using a single precision float? > * C06 = ? 7. What is the decimal value of float `0xFF800000`? (Answer with leading `+` and `-`) > * C07 = ? 8. What is the decimal value of float `0x421E4000`? (Answer with leading `+` and `-`) > * C08 = ? --- ## Problem `D` Floating Point Mathematical Properties * Not associative: $(2 + 2^{50}) – 2^{50} \neq 2 + (2^{50} – 2^{50})$ * Not distributive: $100 \times (0.1 + 0.2) \neq 100 \times 0.1 + 100 \times 0.2$ * Not cumulative: $2^{25} + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 \neq 2^{25} + 4$ If `x` and `y` are variable type `float`, will the expression `(x + 2 * y) - y == x + y` always be evaluated as true? (Please answer **Yes** / **No** with explanation.) > D01 = ? --- ## Problem `E` Compute the decimal result of the following arithmetic expressions involving **6-bit** [Two's Complement](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two%27s_complement) numbers as they would be calculated on a computer. Do any of these result in an overflow? Are all these operations possible? 1. Input: `0b100011 + 0b111010` > * E01 = ? 2. Input: `0xFF − 0xAA` > * E02 = ? 3. Input: `0x3B + 0x06` > * E03 = ? --- ## Problem `F` 1. How do you write the bitwise [exclusive-nor (XNOR)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XNOR_gate) operator in C program? > * F01 = ? 2. Given `x` as an unsigned integer, please use bitwise operators and `+`, `-`, `==` to check if `x` is a power of 2. Write down the expression in C without any branches (i.e., `if`, `else`, `? :`, `do`, `while`, `for`, `goto`) > * F02 = ? 3. The following function `absf` returns absolute value of a single precision float. What is the value of `F03`? Answer in HEX. ```cpp #include <stdint.h> float absf(float x) { uint32_t mask = F03; union { uint32_t i; float f; } u = {.f = x}; u.i &= mask; return u.f; } ``` > * F03 = ?