evolution of processor or microprocessors:-
What is a Microprocessor?
The processor has evolved over time to become faster, more powerful, and more energy efficient. Early processors used transistor technology which allowed for more data to be stored, processed, and transferred. As technology advanced, the processors began to use integrated circuits, which allowed for even more advanced features and capabilities. Today, processors are built on advanced architectures such as x86, ARM, and RISC. These modern processors are capable of handling multiple tasks simultaneously and are much more energy efficient than their predecessors.
The evolution of processors has been remarkable over the past decades. Initially, processors were developed from simple logic gates, which allowed them to process simple instructions. As technology advanced, the processors became more complex and able to process more of instructions in a single clock cycle. From there, the processor are design shifted to the use of microprocessors, which allowed them to process more instructions at a faster clock speed. As technology continued to advance, multi-core processors emerged, allowing for faster and more efficient processing of multiple tasks simultaneously. Today, processors are built with multi-core capabilities and are optimized to use the most efficient algorithms and techniques to process complex tasks quickly.
The word comes from the combination micro and processor.
– Processor means a device that processes numbers, specifically binary numbers, 0’s and 1’s.
– Micro is a new addition.
– In the late 1960’s, processors were built using discrete elements.
– These devices performed the required operation, but were too large and too slow.
– In the early 1970’s the microchip was invented. All of the components that made up the processor were now placed on a single piece of silicon. The size became several thousand times smaller and the speed became several hundred times faster.
– The “Micro” Processor was born.
Definition of Microprocessor:-
Microprocessor is a multipurpose, programmable device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to instructions stored in its memory, and provides results as output.
or
A microprocessor is a multipurpose, programmable, clock-driven, register-based electronic device that reads binary instructions from a storage device called memory accepts binary data as input and processes data according to instructions, and provides result as output.
Some major parts of microprocessor are :-
i) MEMORY:-The memory section usually consists of a mixture of RAM and ROM. It may also have magnetic floppy disks, magnetic hard disks, or laser optical disks. Memory has two purposes. The first purpose is to store the binary codes for the sequence of instructions you want the computer to carry out. When you write a computer program, what you are really doing is just writing a sequential list of instructions for the computer. The second purpose of the memory is to store the binary-coded data with which the computer is going to be working.
ii) INPUT/OUTPUT:-The input/output or I/O section allows the computer to take in data from the outside world or send data to the outside world. These allow the user and the computer to communicate with each other. The actual physical devices used to interface the computer buses to external systems are often called ports.
iii) CPU:-The central processing unit or CPU controls the operation of the computer. It fetches binary-coded instruction of the computer. It fetches binary-coded instructions from memory, decodes the instructions into a series of simple actions, and carries out these actions. The CPU contains an arithmetic logic unit, or ALU. Which can perform add, subtract, OR, AND, invert, or exclusive-OR operations on binary words when instructed to do so. The CPU also contains an address counter which is used to hold the address of the next instruction or data to be fetched from memory, general-purpose registers which are used for temporary storage of binary data, and circuitry which generates the control bus signals.
iv) ADDRESS BUS:- The address bus consists of 16, 20, 24, or more parallel signal lines. On these lines the CPU sends out the address of the memory location that is to be written to or read from. The number of address lines determines the number of memory locations that the CPU can address. If the CPU has N address lines then it can directly address 2N memory locations.
v) DATA BUS:- The data bus consists of 8,16, 32 or more parallel signal lines. As indicated by the double-ended arrows on the data bus line, data bus lines are bi-directional. This mean that the CPU can read data in on these lines from memory or from a port as well as send data out on these lines to memory location or to a port. Many devices in a system will have their outputs connected to the data bus, but the outputs of only one device at a time will be enabled.
vi) CONTROL BUS:- The control bus consists of 4-10 parallel signal lines. The CPU sends out signals on the control bus to enable the outputs of addressed memory devices or port devices. Typical control bus signals are memory read, memory write, I/O read, and I/O writer. To read a byte of data from a memory location, for example, the CPU sends out the address of the desired byte on the address bus and then sends out a memory read signal on the control bus.
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