The Powerhouse of the Computer

Much like the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell, so is the CPU to any computing device.

The CPU

The CPU stands for Central Processing Unit. This mini piece of hardware is what essentially computes all the necessary arithmetic and logical operations via the power of electronic circuits. Any instruction we give the computer to do is processed by the CPU and sent back to the user via the I/O system. The CPU does this by processing data that is taken from the memory on your computer.

But How Does it Really Work?

To truly understand how a CPU works, we must hold some knowledge on electronic circuits and materials. Unfortunately, this class is not designed to go into that much detail. It is important to note that by doing this, we are employing a key methodology used in computer science called abstraction.

A Disclaimer on Abstraction

Abstraction refers to the technique in which you only focus on one level of complexity when trying to break down and understand a computer system. In reality, a computer is an immensely complex system made up of multiple and varying sub-systems, both tangible and intangible. We are currently trying to understand the hardware aspect, but will not go further into the electronic hard-wiring. At the end of the day, the actual way any of this works is via timed flows of electrons at the atomic level. (Let's not get into the sub-atomic level)

If you would like to dive a little deeper down a level of abstraction, however, this video will take you there.