CPU Sim 3.1: A tool for simulating computer architectures for computer organization classes

Abstract

CPU Sim 3.1 is an educational software package written in Java for use in CS3 courses. CPU Sim provides students an active learning environment in which they can design, modify, and compare various computer architectures at the register-transfer level and higher. They can run assembly language or machine language programs for those architectures through simulation. CPU Sim is a complete development environment, including dialog boxes for designing the CPU architecture, a text editor for editing assembly language programs, an assembler, several display windows for viewing the registers and RAMs during the execution of programs, and many debugging features such as the ability to step forward or backward during execution, inspecting and optionally changing the values in the registers and RAMs after each step. These features and suggested uses of CPU Sim in CS3 classes are discussed.

References

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Index Terms

• Applied computing

  • Education

    • Computer-assisted instruction

• Computer systems organization

• Hardware

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Computing education

      • Computing education programs

        • Computer science education