A central processing unit (CPU), or sometimes simply processor, is the component in a digital computer that interprets computer program instructions and processes data. CPUs provide the fundamental digital computer trait of programmability, and are one of the necessary components found in computers of any era, along with primary storage and input/output facilities. A CPU that is manufactured as a single integrated circuit is usually known as a microprocessor. Beginning in the mid-1970s, microprocessors of ever-increasing complexity and power gradually supplanted other designs, and today the term "CPU" is usually applied to some type of microprocessor.
The phrase "central processing unit" is a description of a certain class of logic machines that can execute computer programs. This broad definition can easily be applied to many early computers that existed long before the term "CPU" ever came into widespread usage. However, the term itself and its initialism have been in use in the computer industry at least since the early 1960s (Weik 1961). The form, design and implementation of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation has remained much the same.
2006-12-25 08:04:04
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answer #1
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answered by Bill P 5
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All the CPU does is run programs by fetching instructions from RAM, evaluating them, and executing them in sequence. The instructions are numbers of the binary system, in a special format that is unique for each machine. The CPU breaks an instruction into parts to see if it has to do something. For instance, a '1' in a certain position in an instruction could mean that the CPU would have to load data in from RAM, or that it would have to add two numbers. After the CPU determines what an instruction is supposed to do, it tells its component parts what to do to complete the instruction. The parts of a CPU include the ALU, Registers, and the Control Store.
2006-12-25 16:02:35
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answer #2
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answered by whisper 2
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The CPU pretty much is the computer. It's the brain, and everything else supports it.
2006-12-25 18:55:55
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answer #3
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answered by Nomadd 7
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cpu is the central processing unit...it's the heart of the computer, responsible for all that processing of information...look it up in Wikipedia.
2006-12-25 15:58:27
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answer #4
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answered by Jordan L 6
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all data from every peripheral and your RAM have to processed, so it knows how to interact with each other. It is just lke the brain in your body, it tells certain parts of your body how to react and what to do in certain situations..
2006-12-25 15:59:46
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answer #5
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answered by keith s 5
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Good question!!!
2006-12-25 16:03:28
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answer #6
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answered by It Co$t To Be Around The Bo$$ 4
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