Microprocessor meaning (what is it, concept and definition)

What is the Microprocessor:

A microprocessor is the electronic circuit that processes the energy necessary for the electronic device in which it is located to function, executing the commands and programs appropriately. The Central Process Unit (CPU) of a computer is an example of a microprocessor.

This electronic component is part of the motherboard of a computer and is characterized by being an integrated circuit with thousands and, sometimes, even millions of transistors.

It is called micro for its English meaning that indicates "small", in relation to the importance of its function in a device, sometimes compared to the brain and heart of human beings.

Function of a microprocessor

This electronic component is in charge of processing and executing the instructions encoded in binary numbers.

The microprocessor is commonly known as the Central Processor Unit (CPU) of different electronic devices, but other devices such as hard drives also contain processors.

The function of the microprocessor is so important that it is currently considered the most influential electronic component in human life.

At an economic level, it is the most commercialized product worldwide and, at a social level, it is the most widely used object, present in a wide variety of electronic devices and components, as well as computers, cell phones, smartphones and tablets.

Characteristics of a microprocessor

Thanks to technological and scientific advances, today a microprocessor is able to receive instructions, decode them, search for compatible programs to execute them, execute them, analyze the data and display the results of this process in 1 second or less.

Microprocessors use the same logic that is used by the Central Processing Unit (CPU) of a digital computer, they work by executing very simple logical operations such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.

The microprocessor of a computer is its brain, since it is in charge of processing and executing the necessary functions for the execution of the programs that are in it.

The connection of the thousands or millions of electronic transistors is not made at random, since in order for them to be installed they need a particular connection located on the motherboard or card. It is known as the processor socket, since it was originally installed to the board and could not be changed.

Types of microprocessors

Microprocessors can be distinguished by their internal and external speed, which also determines the bits processed per second, as well as the memory access capacity and the repertoire of instructions and programs at the computer level that can be processed.

The types of microprocessors are also differentiated by the manufacturer, with the most commercial brands being Intel, AMD and Qualcomm.

Each type of microprocessor has a model indicating the prototype of which it is a copy. In this sense, each model has a certain technology and the bus width of the internal data, that is, the length of the word in bits (such as the clock speed that is measured in Mhz).

Parts of a microprocessor

The microprocessor is made up of registers, a control unit, an arithmetic logical unit (ALU) and depending on the type of microprocessor it can also contain a floating point calculation unit.

The microprocessor is a fundamental component in the evolution of computer capacity.

Microprocessor evolution

Currently, there is a wide variety of microprocessors. The best-known models and brands are, for example, the Intel Pentium Pro from Intel, the PowerPC 620 from IBM, Motorola and Apple, the UltraSparc-II from Sun Microsystems and the Alpha 21164A from Digital Equipment Corporation. All of them have many more transistors than the first microprocessors had in principle. These enjoy 5.5; 7; 5.4; and 9.3 million transistors respectively.

In 1971, Intel released the first commercial microprocessor known as Intel4004. It was the first time that thousands and millions of electronic transistors were assembled on a chip, the first being 4 bits, and it could perform 60,000 operations per second.

In 1979, the second 8-bit Intel8008 model appeared, managing to execute up to 200,000 operations per second.