Users of this book will gain an understanding of the fundamental concepts of contemporary computer architecture, starting with a Reduced Instruction Set Computer (RISC). An understanding of computer architecture needs to begin with the basics of modern computer organization. The MIPS architecture embodies the fundamental design principles of all contemporary RISC architectures. This book provides an understanding of how the functional components of modern computers are put together and how a computer works at the machine-language level. Well-written and clearly organized, this book covers the basics of MIPS architecture, including algorithm development, number systems, function calls, reentrant functions, memory-mapped I/O, exceptions and interrupts, and floating-point instructions.