Central Processing Unit

(CPU)
Information Technology
 CPU
• A computer does mainly four functions:
– Receive input: through various input
device
– Process Information: Perform arithmetic
or logical operations on the information
– Produce output: thru output device
– Store Information: storage device
• Computer hardware falls into two
categories
– Processing hardware: Central Processing
Unit, where data processing is done
– Peripheral devices: interact with the CPU
 Central Processing Unit
(CPU)
• The part of the computer that
executes program instructions is
known as the processor or central
processing unit(CPU).
• The central processing unit consists
of three main components, the
control unit, the arithmetic
unit(ALU), and the registers. The
CPU has two parts- the control unit
and the arithmetic logic unit.
 Control Unit
• It directs the movement of electronic
signals between memory(which
temporarily holds data, instructions
and processed information) and the
ALU. It also directs these control
signals between the CPU and
input/output devices.
• Each instruction in the instruction set is
expressed in microcode – a series of
basic directions that tells the CPU how
to execute more complex operations.
Microcode is the lowest-level
instructions that directly control a
microprocessor.
 Arithmetic Logic Unit
• Performs two types of operations-
arithmetic and logical. Arithmetic
operations are the fundamental
mathematical operations consisting of
addition, subtraction, multiplication
and division. Logical operation consist
of comparisons.
• Many instructions carried out in the
control unit involve moving data from
one place to another- from memory to
storage device, from memory to the
printer or monitor and so on.
 Arithmetic Logic Unit
Operations Performed by the ALU
• The ALU Arithmetic Logical Operations
includes a Addition Equal to
Subtraction Not equal to
group of high Multiplication Greater than; not
speed Division greater thannot less
Less than;
memory Exponentiation than
Greater than or
locations(Re equalthan
Less to; not greater
or equal
gister) built than or equal
or equal to less
to; not
than or equal to
directly into
the CPU,
which are
used to hold
data that is
 Registers

CPU and Memory

Register Workspace
ALU
Does all the computing
ROM

Control Unit
Controls & checks

RAM
 Register
• Register are a number of small, high-
speed memory units.
• They hold the material that the CPU
is currently working with and they
can be thought of as being the
CPU’s workspace.
• The ALU works on the data held in
the registers acting on the
instructions which are also held
there.
 Machine Cycle
• Every time the CPU executes an
instruction, it takes a series of
steps called the machine cycle. The
machine cycle consists of two sub-
cycles- the instruction cycle and
the execution cycle. The machine
four steps -- fetching, decoding,
executing and storing. The first two
forms the instruction cycle and the
last two forms the execution cycle.
 Machine Cycle
1.Fetching: fetches the instruction
from the memory
2.Decoding: breakdown or decode the
command
3.Executing: execute the command,
CPU carries out the instruction in
order by converting them into
microcode.
4.Storing: The CPU may be required to
store the results in the memory.
Working of CPU and Memory
• Page 90 and 91 (write 15 steps and
draw the diagram)