Computation Structures 1

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Digital systems are at the heart of the information age in which we live, allowing us to store, communicate and manipulate information quickly and reliably. This computer science course is a bottom-up exploration of the abstractions, principles, and techniques used in the design of digital and computer systems. If you have a rudimentary knowledge of electricity and some exposure to programming, roll up your sleeves, join in and design a computer system!

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on digital systems, teaching the fundamentals of digital circuit design and is based on a course offered by the MIT Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Topics include digital encoding of information, principles of digital signaling; combinational and sequential logic, implementation in CMOS, useful canonical forms, synthesis; latency, throughput and pipelining.

Using your browser for design entry and simulation, you’ll get to design and debug circuits at both the transistor- and gate-level, culminating in the creation of a 32-bit arithmetic and logic unit.

Learner Testimonial

“This course is like a dream coming true...as kid (10 - 12 years) I was already building circuits and reading books about Digital Circuits. Due to all kind of circumstances I never got to pursue a study and career in electronics ...now I am almost 50... I see this as a second chance. Thank you very very much for this awesome course. One of the best, (if not the best) MOOCs I've ever taken.” -- Previous Student