>How Microprocessors Work

The computer you are using to read this page uses amicroprocessor to do its work. The microprocessor is the heartof any normal computer, whether it is a desktop machine, aserver or a laptop. The microprocessor you are using might be aPentium, a K6, a PowerPC, a Sparc or any of the many otherbrands and types of microprocessors, but they all doapproximately the same thing in approximately the same way.

A microprocessor — also known as a CPU or central processing unit — is a complete computation engine that is fabricated on a single chip. The first microprocessor was the Intel 4004, introduced in 1971. The 4004 was not very powerful — all it could do was add and subtract, and it could only do that 4 bits at a time. But it was amazing that everything was on one chip. Prior to the 4004, engineers built computers either from collections of chips or from discrete components (transistors wired one at a time). The 4004 powered one of the first portable electronic calculators.

If you have ever wondered what the microprocessor in your computer is doing, or if you have ever wondered about the differences between types of microprocessors, then read on. In this article, you will learn how fairly simple digital logic techniques allow a computer to do its job, whether its playing a game or spell checking a document!