A computer has four major elements: the central processing unit or CPU, the principal memory, input units and output units. A system bus connects all four elements, passing and relaying information among them. This sort of computer organization and design is known as a"von Neumann machine" after John von Neumann, who finalized the theory and design of the first modern digital computer.
CPU
Computer scientists typically call the CPU that the"brain" of the computer because this is where programs are implemented. A program is a pair of instructions that tells the computer how to accomplish a particular task, such as sending a document to the printer, opening a browser window, or even playing video or music.
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The CPU is broken up into three smaller parts: the arithmetic unit manages all the simple mathematical computations; the management units interpret the instructions in a computer program; and the instruction decoding unit transforms computer programming instructions into machine code. Machine code is the basic language understood by all the components in a personal computer.
Computer glossary When the CPU transforms a particular set of computer application instructions into machine code, then it shops that machine code in main memory or storage . The machine code is going to be treated as either instructions or data. The CPU fetches instructions and data from memory, utilizes an instruction to manipulate the data, and then sends the result and the next set of directions back to memorycard.
Input Units
Input units are all the devices you use to feed information to the computer, such as a computer keyboard, a hard disk or a media card. These devices, in essence, draw data from the"external world" to your computer, in much the same way that your ears and eyes deliver information to your mind. Each input has its own hardware controller which connects to the CPU and main memory, and it has a set of instructions that tells the CPU how to utilize it.
Output Units
Output units are the apparatus your computer uses to relay information to the user, such as a printer, speakers and monitors. By way of example, everything you see on your computer monitor begins as system code in memory. The CPU requires that system code and converts it into a format required by your computer hardware. Your computer hardware then converts that information to various light intensities so that you see words or pictures.
The System Bus
The system bus allows the four parts of their computer communicate with one another. The system bus transmits data and directions. It also sends addresses that tell the CPU where in primary memory that the information and directions will be coming from and where the results should go.