The CPU
The central processing unit (CPU), or sometimes simply processor is the brain of any computer system. It’s usually built into a single chip. Every computer chip today is a piece of silicon with billions of transistors that together constitute the central processing unit of a computer. The CPU is linked to main memory, peripheral equipment (including input/output devices), and storage units. The fundamental operation of most CPUs is to execute a sequence of stored instructions called a program. The CPU receives various types of input and produces specific outputs. The choice of processor decides the speed of computing and its multitasking ability. The majority of processors are capable of carrying out a single instruction at a time. However, the one instruction is executed at lightning speed. The speed of a processor is measured in gigahertz (GHz). There are three typical parts of the CPU: · the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU); · the control unit (CU); · the registers. The Arithmetic and Logical Unit, or ALU, is the device that performs elementary operations such as arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and so on), logical operations (AND, OR, NOT), and comparison operations (for example, comparing the contents of two "slots" for equality). This unit is where the "real work" is done. The control unit keeps track of which slot contains the current instruction that the computer is performing, telling the ALU what operation to perform and retrieving the information (from the memory) that it needs to perform it, and transfers the result back to the appropriate memory location. Computer system organization Register is a special, high-speed storage area within the CPU. All data must be represented in a register before it can be processed. (The register can contain the address of a memory location where data is stored rather than the actual data itself.) The number of registers that a CPU has and the size of each (number of bits) help determine the power and speed of a CPU. Early CPUs were designed as a part of a large computer. The form, construction, design and complexity of CPUs have changed dramatically since the earliest examples, but their fundamental operation remains much the same. Today chip manufacturers have reached a limit in terms of the number of transistors that can be etched on a silicon chip. They prefer multicore chips. There are two, four or six chips that form a computer processor today, by working in coordination. This multicore design has helped chip makers to surpass the clocking frequency barrier* and create faster chips. Modern microprocessors appear in everything from automobiles to cell phones.
*clocking frequency barrier - барьер тактовой частоты
Exercise 1. Answer the following questions.
1. What does the term CPU include? 2. What is the processor? 3. What is the CPU linked to? 4. What is the main task of the CPU? 5. How many instructions are processors capable of carrying out at a time? 6. What is the speed of a processor measured in? 7. What are the typical parts of the CPU? 8. What is the ALU? 9. What is the CU? 10. What is the register? 11. How many chips form a computer processor today? 12. Where can you find microprocessors?
Exercise 2. Find the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations in the text.
Мозг, плата расширения, соединять, оперативная память, последовательность, получать, арифметико-логическое устройство, выполнять, блок управления, регистр, соответствующий, скорость, создавать
Exercise 3. Match English words and word combinations with their Russian equivalents.
|
