CSCI-21 Lab 1 – due 2/8/16
Go through the help system of QtSpim to get familiar with the system, and look at the MIPS Assembly
Language tutorial linked from my Web site. There is nothing to turn in from this, but you should do this
soon.
Then, please work alone on the rest this lab. E-mail me the answers (and please, remember the rules for
the subject line and attachments). Using Notepad is fine for the answers. They should be fairly short.
1. What two things does the base of a number system tell you? Illustrate both using base 11.
2. Thought experiment: what are some of the advantages of using binary digital electronics over analog
electronics? You should be able to think of several. Explain why you think these properties of digital
systems are actually advantages, not disadvantages.
3. List the stages in the Fetch-Execute cycle used to execute instructions, giving a brief description of
what happens in each stage and the components of the CPU involved in each phase. Do this as I did
in class the first class session.