Unit 10

avatar
Created by
Jenaé

Cards (21)

  • Central Processing Unit (CPU)
    The processor at the heart of any computer system
  • Main parts of a CPU
    • Control unit
    • Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)
    • Registers
    • Clock
  • Control unit

    • Manages the work of the CPU, executes instructions and makes sure they are carried out correctly
  • Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)

    • Makes calculations needed to carry out an instruction
  • Registers

    • Parts of memory that store data while it is being carried out
  • Clock

    • An instruction is carried out every time the clock ticks, usually 3 billion times per second
  • The machine cycle

    1. Control unit fetches instruction from main memory
    2. Control unit decodes the instruction
    3. Control unit sends the instruction to the ALU
    4. ALU executes the instruction
  • The machine cycle is also called the fetch-decode-execute cycle
  • The parts of a CPU are joined together by fast connections called buses
  • Processing speed

    Measured in hertz (cycles per second), modern CPUs operate at around 3 gigahertz (3 billion cycles per second)
  • Core

    • A processor in the CPU, modern CPUs have multiple cores running side by side
  • The CPU is mounted in the centre of a larger component called the motherboard
  • The motherboard contains all the parts that allow the CPU to connect to input and output devices
  • Processor takes data from input devices and process it before sending the results to output device.
  • Processor carries our instructions and data to and from the memory.
  • The processor carries out instructions held in computer software.
  • CPU

    • The control unit manages the work of the CPU. It receives instructions and makes sure they are carried out correctly
    • The Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) makes calculations needed to carry out an instruction
    • The registers are small areas of memory that store an instruction while it is being carried out
    • The clock - an instruction is carried out every time the clock ticks, around 3 billion times a second
  • Machine cycle

    1. The control unit fetches the instruction
    2. The ALU executes the instruction
    3. The cycle starts again
  • The speed of the processor is measured in cycles per second, megahertz or gigahertz
  • A gigahertz is one billion cycles per second, which is how fast modern computer CPUs operate
  • A faster processor can carry out more instructions per second