Task: Learning Journal

Open your Learning Journal by clicking on the image below

Good notes will help you organise and process data and information

A CPU(Central processing Unit) is a microchip responsible for data processing in a computer system. Most modern CPUs are built using an architecture (a structure) call the Von Neumann Architecture.

The CPU processes the instructions it receives from programs in what is called a cycle. The number of cycles a CPU can complete in a second is how we measure its speed.

Let's understand its major components

1. ALU (Arithmetic Logic Unit):

   The ALU performs mathematical operations (arithmetic) and logical operations (comparisons and decision-making) on data. It can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and perform logical operations like AND, OR, and NOT. The ALU performs these operations based on instructions received from the control unit.

2. Control Unit:

   The control unit coordinates and controls the activities of the CPU. It fetches instructions from memory, decodes them, and generates control signals to coordinate the flow of data and instructions within the CPU. It directs the ALU, registers, and other components to perform specific operations based on the instructions.

3. Registers:

   Registers are small, high-speed memory locations inside the CPU used for temporary storage. They hold data, instructions, and memory addresses during different stages of processing. Some common types of registers include the program counter (holds the memory address of the current instruction), instruction register (holds the currently executing instruction), and accumulator (used for intermediate calculations).

Task:

Open your student workbook at page 32 Read through the notes then complete the following crossword task in your book.

1. Task 18

When you are finished screenshot your answer into your Learning Journal

For each cycle of the CPU it can process data using the fetch - decode - execute (FDE) cycle

Fetch Decode Execute cycle simulation

Little man Computer Challenge

Complete Little Man Computer task 'Mini Challenges' by clicking on the image below

Task:

Open your student workbook at page 37 Read through the notes then complete the following task in your book.

1. Task 19

When you are finished screenshot your answer into your Learning Journal

Other important elements of the CPU

1. Clock:

   The clock is like a heartbeat of the CPU. It provides timing signals that synchronize the operations of different components. The clock generates regular pulses, and each pulse represents a fixed unit of time. It ensures that different operations within the CPU occur at the proper time and in the correct order.

2. Bus:

   The bus is a communication pathway that allows data and instructions to be transferred between different components of the CPU and other parts of the computer system. There are three types of buses: the data bus carries data between the CPU and memory, the address bus carries memory addresses, and the control bus carries control signals to coordinate actions within the CPU.

Summary of CPU components

In summary, the ALU performs calculations and logical operations, the control unit manages and coordinates CPU activities, registers provide temporary storage, the clock ensures synchronization, and the bus facilitates data and instruction transfer. Together, these components work harmoniously to process instructions, manipulate data, and perform computations inside the CPU, enabling the computer to execute tasks efficiently.

Speeding up execution

The speed of a CPU is measured in clock cycles per second. The number of cycles a CPU can perform in a second is called its clock speed. if a CPU has a clock speed of 3.4 Ghz thats means it can complete 3.4 billion operations per second.

In order to increase the speed of our CPU, we can either increase the number of cores on the Microchip, or the amount of memory on the Microchip . This type of memory on a CPU microchip is called Cache memory.

CPU cores

The CPU can also contain a number of cores, these are really the number of individual CPUs on the CPU MicroChip.