how a processor works 1

Monday, March 23, 2009

In November 1971, Intel introduced the world's first commercial microprocessor, the 4004, invented by three Intel engineers. Primitive by today's standards, it contained a mere 2,300 transistors and performed about 60,000 calculations in a second. Twenty-five years later, the microprocessor is the most complex mass-produced product ever, with more than 5.5 million transistors performing hundreds of millions of calculations each second.

Today's microprocessors are the brains of your personal computer. Here on this tiny silicon chip are millions of switches and pathways that help your computer make important decisions and perform helpful tasks. And microprocessors don't just think for computers-you might find a processor in many other everyday items like your telephone or car. To help you understand how the microprocessor does its job, you will go step by step through a simple task on the chip. For the purpose of this demonstration, you will add two numbers together while watching the microprocessor do its magic. You will complete this task in four easy steps and you may review each step as many times as you want. Remember, each part of the processor has a special task. If you want to know more about their individual duties, refer at any time to the glossary.