The Central Processing Unit
The CPU is the main processor in a computer.
Key components
Control unit
The control unit controls all the activities that are done within the CPU.
Buses
A bus is the wires that connect the components of the computer to the CPU and is also used within the CPU to content other parts of the CPU together.
A bus commonly comes in 8, 16, 32 or 64 lines and can be split into three types:
- Data bus
- Address bus
- Control bus
Data
A data bus transports data between the CPU and memory.
Control bus
The control bus transports instructions between the CPU and memory. These include program instructions and signals sent from the control unit.
Address bus
The address bus transports memory addresses between the CPU and memory.
