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How a Computer Processor Works

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    Central Processing Unit

    • A computer processor, or "central processing unit" as it's technically called, is a tiny electronic device designed for operating things like computers. Without the central processing unit (or CPU for short), anything with electronic circuits--from personal computers to video game consoles to electronic children's toys--would cease to function.

    Executing Programs

    • The job of a computer processor is simple--it is designed to carry out a series of programs that hold instructions for how that particular device works. In a personal computer, for example, the computer processor is in charge of loading the operating system, which is the large piece of software that allows you to operate your machine as you know it.

    Instructions

    • All computer processors execute the same four basic steps when powered on. These four steps are universal and are relevant to almost any piece of equipment with a computer processor in it. The processor will first fetch, which is when it searches within it's own memory for instructions on how to carry out it's objective. It then decodes, which is when it breaks up a set of instructions into smaller parts and assigns specific parts of itself to carry them out. It then executes the programs. To finish things of, it stores the results of the operation it it's own memory for future reference.

    Physical Operations

    • Physically, a computer processor is nothing more than a series of tiny computer chips mounted on a small board. These computer chips each are designed to execute one of the four main instructions of a CPU as described above. When the "speed" of a computer processor is referred to, it is simply the speed at which these chips can carry out their tasks. The faster they perform the four steps the faster the operating system loads, which means the programs you are attempting to access will move faster.

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