The central processing unit (CPU) (Edexcel GCSE Computer Science): Flashcards
📚Flashcards
Practise the cards
13 cards from this deck
ShowHide
Practise the cards
13 cards from this deck
What is the role of the CPU?
What is the role of the CPU?
Brain of computer; decodes and executes instructions
Three main components of the CPU
Three main components of the CPU
Control unit, ALU, and registers
Function of the control unit
Function of the control unit
Fetches and decodes instructions; coordinates CPU operations
What ALU stands for
What ALU stands for
Arithmetic Logic Unit
Operations performed by the ALU
Operations performed by the ALU
Mathematical and logical operations (add, subtract, compare)
What are registers?
What are registers?
Small, fast storage locations inside the CPU
Purpose of registers
Purpose of registers
Hold data/instructions currently being processed
Function of the CPU clock
Function of the CPU clock
Synchronises all CPU operations via regular ticks
What one gigahertz (GHz) equals
What one gigahertz (GHz) equals
One billion ticks per second
Typical modern CPU clock speed
Typical modern CPU clock speed
Around 3 GHz
What are buses in computing?
What are buses in computing?
Communication pathways (wires) between CPU and other parts
Three main types of CPU buses
Three main types of CPU buses
Control bus, address bus, data bus
Why is the data bus bidirectional?
Why is the data bus bidirectional?
Data flows both ways: CPU to memory and memory to CPU