Code
Table of contents
Takes you from Morse code, to braille to boolean algebra and gates to relays and switches all the way to a working computer (Petzold uses as a base the Intel 8080, which was an 8 bit processor with 16 bits of addressable memory created in 1974). He takes you through base numbering like hexadecimal (base 16) and binary (base 2), and walks you through how you can perform arithmetic with these numbers.
Lots of interesting stuff:
- hexadecimal, binary, decimal
- boolean algebra
- logic gates
- how to add bits and how to represent negative numbers via twos complement
- character encoding (e.g., ascii, latin-1, utf-8)
- the architecture of computer systems, from primitive gates to registers, latches, flip flops, the ALU, and eventually the CPU, memory, and peripherals
- as comprehensive a history lesson on the computer as you’ll find
- electrical engineering
- machine code and assembly code
- QR codes and barcodes
- braille and morse code
- from relays to vacuums to transistors to integrated chips (all the ways of perform a switch based on voltage)
- computer arithmetic and logic