The Definitive Guide to How Computers Do Math

Book excerpt: The Basics of Computer Arithmetic Made Enjoyable andAccessible-with a Special Program Included for Hands-onLearning "The combination of this book and its associated virtual computeris fantastic! Experience over the last fifty years has shown methat there's only one way to truly understand how computers work;and that is to learn one computer and its instruction set-no matterhow simple or primitive-from the ground up. Once you fullycomprehend how that simple computer functions, you can easilyextrapolate to more complex machines." -Fred Hudson, retired engineer/scientist "This book-along with the virtual DIY Calculator-is an incrediblyuseful teaching and learning tool. The interesting trivia nuggetskeep you turning the pages to see what's next. Students will haveso much fun reading the text and performing the labs that theywon't even realize they are learning." -Michael Haghighi, Chairperson of the Business and ComputerInformation Systems Division, Calhoun Community College,Alabama "At last, a book that presents an innovative approach to theteaching of computer architecture. Written with authority andverve, witty, superbly illustrated, and enhanced with manylaboratory exercises, this book is a must for students and teachersalike." -Dr. Albert Koelmans, Lecturer in Computer Engineering, Universityof Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and the 2003 recipient of theEASIT-Eng. Gold Award for Innovative Teaching in ComputerEngineering Packed with nuggets of information and tidbits of trivia, HowComputers Do Math provides an incredibly fun and interestingintroduction to the way in which computers perform their magic ingeneral and math in particular. The accompanying CD-ROM contains avirtual computer/calculator called the DIY Calculator, and thebook's step-by-step interactive laboratories guide you in thecreation of a simple program to run on your DIY Calculator. How Computers Do Math can be enjoyed by non-technical individuals;students of computer science, electronics engineering, andmathematics; and even practicing engineers. All of theillustrations and interactive laboratories featured in the book areprovided on the CD-ROM for use by high school, college, anduniversity educators as lecture notes and handouts. For online resources and more information please visit theauthor's website at ahref="http://www.diycalculator.com/"www.DIYCalculator.com/a.