The Central Processing Unit is basically the brain of the PC. It’s the part that makes all the calculations in order to execute the processes.
The CPU is like the computer’s brain that takes instructions and works on them. It applies the program instructions to the input data then turns it into an output. There are two components of the CPU. These are the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU) and the Control Unit.
The Arithmetic and Logic Unit is the part of the CPU responsible for executing the instructions. It is able to convert data to diverse internal formats, as well as compare data, multiply and add numbers, etc.
The Control Unit is responsible for “housekeeping.” It ensures the swift processing of the instructions in its proper sequence and only works on correct data To put it in one sentence, the CPU is the life of the computer.
This little chip is known as the central processing unit (CPU), and it is the brain of the computer where all data crunching and processing is done. In the old days, a CPU used to have “only one single brain” or what we call a “single-core CPU”.
1. Multiple “Brains” (or Cores)
But as the wise saying goes “two heads are better than one”, so smart monkeys eventually improved the design of CPUs.
Even though it is one physical chip, there could multiple “brains” (or cores) within that chip.
This is where the terms dual-core (2 processors in one chip), quad-core (4 processors), and multi-core (N processors) come from.
