321 Challenge
Background
Students in the BSc in Computer Science program who have successfully completed CPSC 355 and CPSC 455 (with a grade of C− or better in each case), but who have not successfully completed CPSC 321, must either complete CPSC 325 or demonstrate that this requirement can be waived in order to satisfy the current program requirements. Since CPSC 321 is no longer available it is not possible for these students to use the older program requirements that list this course along with CPSC 355 and 455.
In order to have the requirement for CPSC 325 waived, students must successfully complete a challenge examination that includes the material from CPSC 321 that is currently covered in CPSC 325. Additional information about this challenge examination is included below.
Students who do not successfully complete this challenge examination must successfully complete CPSC 325 in order to satisfy the current requirements for the BSc in Computer Science. Their past completion of CPSC 455 will then be extra-to-degree.
Preparing for the Examination
The following text was recently used as a textbook for Computer Science 321.
Digital Design, Third Edition
by M. Morris Mano
Prentice-Hall, 2002
Copies of the 3rd and 4th edition of this text are also available from the University of Calgary library and can be purchased at Amazon or Chapters/Indigo.
An examination will be given based on the following topics:
| Topic | Corresponding Sections of Digital Design, Third Edition |
| 01 Intro to Combinational Logic | 2-5: Canonical and Standard Forms 2-6: Other Logic Operations 2-7: Digital Logic Gates 3-1: The Map Method 3-2: Four-Variable Map |
| 02 Combinational Logic Systems | 4-3: Design Procedure 4-4: Binary Adder-Subtractor 4-4: Decoders 4-10: Multiplexers |
| 03 Intro to Sequential Logic | 5-1: Sequential Circuits 5-2: Latches 5-3: Flip-Flops (To Page 175) 6-1: Registers 6-2: Shift Registers (to Page 221) |
| 04 Finite State Machines | 5-4: Analysis of Clocked Sequential Circuits 5-6: State Reduction and Assignment (page 202) 5-7: Design Procedure 8-7: Control Logic (To Page 323) |
| 05 Register Transfer Logic | Chapter 8: Register Transfer Level (See also references in the online notes.) |
| 06 Communications | |
| 07 Architecture | |
| 08 The Electromagnetic Spectrum |
Sections 07 and 08 may be considered enrichment to the basics of logic design; the challenge exam will not include material from these except perhaps as bonus questions.
A more detailed treatment of most of the above is given in the complete set of CPSC 321 notes used for many years, while those pages of greatest importance are indexed here.
Taking the Examination
Information about the scheduling and administration of CPSC 325 challenge examinations will be posted here when available. Please contact ....