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The CPU and Fetch-Decode-Execute Cycle
Learn about CPU architecture, registers, buses, and how the fetch-decode-execute cycle works.
📚 Learning Steps
💡 Study Tips
- • Read through at your own pace
- • Try the interactive simulators hands-on
- • Study the pseudocode — it appears in exams
- • Quiz yourself before moving on
Step 1: What is the CPU?
📖 TheoryThe CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the brain of the computer. It processes all instructions and performs calculations.
The CPU contains three main components:
1. ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit) — performs calculations and logical comparisons
2. CU (Control Unit) — manages the flow of data and instructions, sends control signals
3. Registers — tiny, ultra-fast memory locations inside the CPU for temporary storage
The CPU can only process one instruction at a time (per core), but it does this billions of times per second.
🎯 Key Points
- •CPU = Central Processing Unit (the processor)
- •ALU performs arithmetic (+, -, ×, ÷) and logic (AND, OR, >, <)
- •CU controls the sequence of operations and sends signals
- •Registers are small, fast storage inside the CPU
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