What is the processor for: description, characteristics and application

Computer users very often confuse such two concepts as the system unit and the processor, calling the first - the second. This is fundamentally wrong. The processor itself is a device designed to control the operation of a computer in accordance with a predetermined sequence of commands, called a program, and for performing information processing operations .

In addition, there are other devices with a similar name. For example, a word processor is designed to create documents and format them. This type of software is Microsoft Word.

What it is?

And the device itself, which is the brain of a computer, is also called a microprocessor. What is the purpose of the processor in the computer? This is an integrated circuit that controls the operation of a personal computer. Such a circuit is created on one or several crystals made of a semiconductor using a very sophisticated technology related to the field of microelectronics.

All that a computer with information can do is determined by the command system of the processor itself. They are included in the instructions for managing the operation of the computer. One single command is one operation performed by a computer. For example, performing arithmetic operations, logical operations, determining the sequence of commands for execution, transferring information from the memory of one device to the memory of another.

This is a short answer to the question of what the processor is for.

Device

Since the processor is a device designed for data processing, it consists of the following elements:

• Arithmetic logic unit;
• control device;
• Registers of memory.

The control device, as is clear from its name, manages all nodes of the computer for a given program. It extracts each subsequent command from the register, learns from it what operation to perform, and in what order. This is a kind of conductor, managing an entire orchestra. A musical composition is just the program.

Components

Arithmetic logic device is a tool for calculations, which, following programs, performs operations related to arithmetic and logic.

The registers are the internal memory of the CPU. One register can be compared to a draft with which the device calculates and stores their results. Each of the registers has its own purpose.

Suppose the processor has to add two numbers. To perform this operation, first of all, he needs to take from memory the first term, then the second, add up these two values, and send the amount back to the computer's RAM.

It is clear that both the summands and the result should be stored somewhere in the processor. For this purpose, a cell is provided that enters directly into the processor itself, called the accumulator or adder. Since the processor is designed for data and processing, it must understand which memory location to take the following command from. This he learns from his other inner cell, which is called the counter. The command that is extracted from the RAM is located in another cell - the command register. From it, the result of the executed command can be transferred already into the main memory.

Types of registers

There are several types of registers. They differ from each other in the kind of operations that they perform. The most important registers have their own names:

• The command counter is a register containing the address of the next command to be executed. It serves to automatically select a program from a set of linked memory cells.
• Summator - takes part in all operations.
• Command register. It stores the command for the period of time that is needed to perform.

Data bus

The computer's processor is designed to work with information. All its devices are constantly exchanged among themselves. And they do this with an element called the internal data bus. In modern CPUs, there are other parts, but the necessary minimum is the above set of devices.

The machine cycle and its circuit

This process, as a rule, consists of the following steps:

• A command is selected from the cell whose address is stored in the counter register. Its contents are increased by the length of this command.
• Next, it is sent to the control device, falling into its command register.
• The address field belonging to the command is decrypted by the control device.
• The last one gives a signal, and the data is read from the RAM, getting into the arithmetic logic device.
• The control unit decodes the code of the operation being performed and a signal is sent to the arithmetic logic unit about the execution of this action on the data, which in this case is called the operands.
• The result of the operation can be stored in the central processor itself or it is transferred to the memory, in the case when there is an address on which the result should be located.
• All of the above steps are carried out until a stop signal is given.

Characteristics

So, what the processor is for, it's clear: to execute commands from the specified program. To do this, it has the following characteristics:

1. Clock frequency. The central processor is closely connected to the clock frequency generator , which generates pulses. They synchronize the work of all the elements of the computer. This characteristic is equal to the number of measures in one second. One clock cycle is the length of time between the first pulse and the second. The clock frequency in megahertz is measured.
2. Bit depth. This is the maximum value that is responsible for the number of bits of the binary code generated and transmitted by the processor at the same time. This characteristic is determined by the width of its registers.
3. Address space. This refers to the range of addresses that the processor accesses by applying the address code.

Thanks to the above, you can clearly determine what the processor is designed for. This is the brain of the computer, without which it is completely useless. Is it just for decorating the interior.