Intro to Computer Architecture: Lecture Notes

We will learn about most of the mentioned computer layers as we advance throughout the course:

Transistors, which are simple electric switches, and Logic Gates, which are small structures made of transistors and wires and used for redirecting electric currents, are covered in Topic 3: Boolean Algebra & Logic Gates.
Circuits, which are meaningful, more complex structures made of logic gates, are studied in Topic 4: Circuits.
Chips, which are complex structures made of circuits, as well as Systems, such as the memory and I/O systems, are studied across Topic 5: Computer Instructions, Topic 6: MARIE: Architecture Example, Topic 7: Memory, and Topic 8: I/O.
In Topic 9: Intro to Assembly Language, we will code in a popular assembly language called NASM ("Netwide Assembler"), a low-level language sitting above machine language, which controls computer hardware directly.
In Topic 10: Performance & Architecture Types, we will see ways to improve a computer's performance by making changes to its hardware and learn about popular architecture types in the market.
In Topic 11: Intro to Operating Systems we will leave the hardware world and find out about the software that sits on top of the hardware: a computer's operating system.