EC ENGR M16
Logic Design of Digital Systems
Description: (Formerly numbered Electrical Engineering M16.) (Same as Computer Science M51A.) Lecture, four hours; discussion, two hours; outside study, six hours. Introduction to digital systems. Specification and implementation of combinational and sequential systems. Standard logic modules and programmable logic arrays. Specification and implementation of algorithmic systems: data and control sections. Number systems and arithmetic algorithms. Error control codes for digital information. Letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Fall 2017 - Mehta has a knack for complicating things that are simple. From his homework to his tests to his labs, it was very hard to make sense of anything. His examples during lecture don't make very much sense, and he doesn't give us any resources to adapt to his question-making style. This class was the most painful and time-consuming class I've taken at UCLA.
Fall 2017 - Mehta has a knack for complicating things that are simple. From his homework to his tests to his labs, it was very hard to make sense of anything. His examples during lecture don't make very much sense, and he doesn't give us any resources to adapt to his question-making style. This class was the most painful and time-consuming class I've taken at UCLA.
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2021 - The class wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. The course was (mostly) well-organized, and the content is very comprehensive. The professor and TAs seem to genuinely care about the class. In particular, the professor was super active on Piazza, and he'd often reply to my questions in an hour or two. Needless to say, if you put in the effort, you'll learn a lot. But if you're a CS major who doesn't give two quacks about hardware like me, I would recommend against taking this class. Prof. Srivastava covered material rather rapidly during lectures, and I sometimes found them difficult to keep up with. He was often rude to students (especially over Piazza), and for the first half the quarter he only gave a single 3-minute break during the 2-hour lectures. Also, the assignments were super unforgiving. A small error in your circuit could be the difference between 100% and a failing grade for a design assignment (the 2nd DA wasn't easy to test properly either). The quizzes were multiple choice and often poorly worded, so I got a lot of points off for stupid reasons. Like others have said, the class doesn't have a whole lot of work until the last two weeks, when you get hit with a design assignment and a week-long final. To sum it up, if you're genuinely passionate about designing circuits, I think you'll be able to look past the flaws and enjoy this course. But if not, be prepared for frustration.
Spring 2021 - The class wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great either. The course was (mostly) well-organized, and the content is very comprehensive. The professor and TAs seem to genuinely care about the class. In particular, the professor was super active on Piazza, and he'd often reply to my questions in an hour or two. Needless to say, if you put in the effort, you'll learn a lot. But if you're a CS major who doesn't give two quacks about hardware like me, I would recommend against taking this class. Prof. Srivastava covered material rather rapidly during lectures, and I sometimes found them difficult to keep up with. He was often rude to students (especially over Piazza), and for the first half the quarter he only gave a single 3-minute break during the 2-hour lectures. Also, the assignments were super unforgiving. A small error in your circuit could be the difference between 100% and a failing grade for a design assignment (the 2nd DA wasn't easy to test properly either). The quizzes were multiple choice and often poorly worded, so I got a lot of points off for stupid reasons. Like others have said, the class doesn't have a whole lot of work until the last two weeks, when you get hit with a design assignment and a week-long final. To sum it up, if you're genuinely passionate about designing circuits, I think you'll be able to look past the flaws and enjoy this course. But if not, be prepared for frustration.
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Spring 2018 - CK is the funniest professor I have ever taken in EE department. CK stands for clock cycle. You will also get a TA whose name is CL YANG, where CL stands for combinational logic. There is another TA called Ryan Stark, who is actually very helpful. Believe it or not, with YANG as the professor and Ryan Stark as the TA, there is a student named Ryan Yang. okay enough gibberish, let's get to the main point. The class is held at Royce 362, the most depressing and religious classroom you can get at UCLA. The lighting is so dim and to make things worse, the long curtains that hang all the way from the ceiling blocks most of the natural light. Sitting in the classroom was like attending a medieval cult. CK would usually walk into the classroom with his charming smile. His voice is very gentle, and at a very low key. So if you sit in the back of the classroom, his voice will sound like a humming bee, monotonous and almost inaudible. Sitting in the front does not make things better, it only makes you fully exposed to his hypnotism. For many times in this place of salvation, I left my flesh in the seat while my soul wanders in the realm of Hypnos. The only time when CK raises his voice and brings me back to reality, is when someone asks about universe and future technology. He would suddenly look up from his ipad and very sincerely, like the sloth in Zootopia, say word by word: "that------is------a-------very------good------question-----!"Then he would go off the tangent and bore everyone to death, putting me back to sleep. As people before me has mentioned, CK is very proud of his scribbles and drawings, on his cute little ipad with his cutie little pen. He once forgot his cuties and did not know where to write. He became so worried that I stayed awake while he paced anxiously on the podium. I went back to sleep after he finally decided to write on the board. CK loves to call his scribbles on ipad "in class specials", which is not posted in order "to reward people who come to lectures". His hieroglyphics, however, were incomprehensible. I once took a photo of his drawings and ended up spending several hours decrypting it. In the end I still did not know what he wanted to express: the anger of Zeus, or the misery of mummies? CK, as a physicist, releases homework and design assignments that obey Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. You can never know what he asks for and how he wants you to approach it at the same time. To make matter worse, like Schrödinger's cat, the assignment changes its meaning with every visit you pay to his office hour. Your attempt of trying to understand the spec will change the meaning of the spec. My friend and I once came up with five possible interpretations of a question and posted a clarification post on Piazza. I thus included all possible cases and turned in my homework feeling assured. When the grade of that homework came out, however, I lost all points: CK has always meant the sixth interpretation. Given the elusiveness, trying to find CK in finals week is like pilgrimage: you are not guaranteed to see him at that specific time slot. Even though the office door might be open, the lights turned on, desk neat and tidy, the professor himself might not be there. All you can do is wait patiently until the god reveals himself from outer space. Finding CK, however, is not the biggest challenge. When CK think you are retarded and not understanding what he is trying to say, he will issue a reset signal, clear all the conversations so far and start from the very beginning. And again, you have to let the god finish first. CK himself is a very successful businessman and vice president or whatsoever of the EE department. One of my friend said he once heard CK talking over the phone like, "I need these shipped to ...by...", in the tone of a big boss: fast, articulate and coherent. Given CK is so successful, education might just be what he does for entertainment. Even though I slept through most of his lectures, I did not miss a single one. I still remember in the very first lecture he gave for this class, he said, "I know many of you would like to take a refreshing nap on the lovely grassland or back in the dorm, instead of coming to my lecture. But I wouldn't mind if you choose to sleep on the seats in front of me." I have always chosen to sleep on these seats. These seats are soft, and mean as much to me as the couch means to the Simpsons. I would still encourage you to take this class, with this once in a life time professor.
Spring 2018 - CK is the funniest professor I have ever taken in EE department. CK stands for clock cycle. You will also get a TA whose name is CL YANG, where CL stands for combinational logic. There is another TA called Ryan Stark, who is actually very helpful. Believe it or not, with YANG as the professor and Ryan Stark as the TA, there is a student named Ryan Yang. okay enough gibberish, let's get to the main point. The class is held at Royce 362, the most depressing and religious classroom you can get at UCLA. The lighting is so dim and to make things worse, the long curtains that hang all the way from the ceiling blocks most of the natural light. Sitting in the classroom was like attending a medieval cult. CK would usually walk into the classroom with his charming smile. His voice is very gentle, and at a very low key. So if you sit in the back of the classroom, his voice will sound like a humming bee, monotonous and almost inaudible. Sitting in the front does not make things better, it only makes you fully exposed to his hypnotism. For many times in this place of salvation, I left my flesh in the seat while my soul wanders in the realm of Hypnos. The only time when CK raises his voice and brings me back to reality, is when someone asks about universe and future technology. He would suddenly look up from his ipad and very sincerely, like the sloth in Zootopia, say word by word: "that------is------a-------very------good------question-----!"Then he would go off the tangent and bore everyone to death, putting me back to sleep. As people before me has mentioned, CK is very proud of his scribbles and drawings, on his cute little ipad with his cutie little pen. He once forgot his cuties and did not know where to write. He became so worried that I stayed awake while he paced anxiously on the podium. I went back to sleep after he finally decided to write on the board. CK loves to call his scribbles on ipad "in class specials", which is not posted in order "to reward people who come to lectures". His hieroglyphics, however, were incomprehensible. I once took a photo of his drawings and ended up spending several hours decrypting it. In the end I still did not know what he wanted to express: the anger of Zeus, or the misery of mummies? CK, as a physicist, releases homework and design assignments that obey Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. You can never know what he asks for and how he wants you to approach it at the same time. To make matter worse, like Schrödinger's cat, the assignment changes its meaning with every visit you pay to his office hour. Your attempt of trying to understand the spec will change the meaning of the spec. My friend and I once came up with five possible interpretations of a question and posted a clarification post on Piazza. I thus included all possible cases and turned in my homework feeling assured. When the grade of that homework came out, however, I lost all points: CK has always meant the sixth interpretation. Given the elusiveness, trying to find CK in finals week is like pilgrimage: you are not guaranteed to see him at that specific time slot. Even though the office door might be open, the lights turned on, desk neat and tidy, the professor himself might not be there. All you can do is wait patiently until the god reveals himself from outer space. Finding CK, however, is not the biggest challenge. When CK think you are retarded and not understanding what he is trying to say, he will issue a reset signal, clear all the conversations so far and start from the very beginning. And again, you have to let the god finish first. CK himself is a very successful businessman and vice president or whatsoever of the EE department. One of my friend said he once heard CK talking over the phone like, "I need these shipped to ...by...", in the tone of a big boss: fast, articulate and coherent. Given CK is so successful, education might just be what he does for entertainment. Even though I slept through most of his lectures, I did not miss a single one. I still remember in the very first lecture he gave for this class, he said, "I know many of you would like to take a refreshing nap on the lovely grassland or back in the dorm, instead of coming to my lecture. But I wouldn't mind if you choose to sleep on the seats in front of me." I have always chosen to sleep on these seats. These seats are soft, and mean as much to me as the couch means to the Simpsons. I would still encourage you to take this class, with this once in a life time professor.
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