10/1/2018

LESSON 3
Hardware & Software

The Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The Central Processing Unit

What is CPU?

The CPU is the “brain” of the computer. It works hand in hand with
other circuits called “main memory” to carry out processing. It is in this
part of the computer system that processes all the operation that turn
data into useful information. It follows the instructions of the software
to perform all necessary commands. The CPU has two main
components:(1) the control unit and (2) arithmetic logic unit. These
components are connected by a kind of electronic pathway called bus.
This central processor also performs all the calculations, comparisons
for data and logical decision.

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 10/1/2018

The Central Processing Unit

(1) Control Unit(CU)

The control unit commands the computer system how to carry out a program’s instructions. It
determines what data to send to the ALU for processing, what instructions have to be prioritized, how much
instructions have to interpreted and executed, where in the memory shall the data be kept, and what kind of
output device must be used to send the processed data.

(2) Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

The ALU takes care of the arithmetic operations and logical operations and controls the speed of
these operations. Arithmetic operations involve the use of the fundamental operations in mathematics such
as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. The logical operation are usually the data comparison
and decision. The use of logical operators (=,>,<,≤ and ≥) are very important in decision making. Data
received by the computer are stored in the RAM (Random Access Memory), moved back and forth by the
control unit from the RAM, or to an output unit.

The Central Processing Unit

(3) Main Memory (Primary Storage)

The primary storage or internal memory is where the computer program and data are stored
during processing. This is also known as RAM – Random Access Memory. It is just a temporary storage,
which means that the data would be lost whenever electric power in the computer is turned off. The main
task of RAM; (1) to hold data for processing (2) to hold instructions (programs) for processing, (3) to hold
processed data (information) waiting to be sent to the output device or storage device. Read Only
Memory (ROM) contains instruction that a computer requires to be able to do its basic routine
operations. This part is non volatile; the instructions still hold even when there is power interruption or
shut off. We can only read the information or instructions stored in a read only memory.