CBCT 2203

Basic Concepts of
Information technology

Topic: 2
Central Processing Unit
Objectives:

By the end of this topic, you should be able to:

• Explain what is a CPU and memory

• Define data representation and coding scheme
• State various tools and hardware inside the system
unit

Page 2
Introduction:

• What is computer system?

A computer system combination of hardware and

software

Hardware Software

The physical manifestation Consist of the program that

of the computer command the hardware
What is Central Processing Unit (CPU)?

B
C
A

F
E
D
What is Central Processing Unit (CPU)?
What is Central Processing Unit (CPU)?

• Also called the processor, interprets and carries out basic

instructions that control the operations of any machine in
which it is installed in
• Significantly impacts overall computing power and manages
most of the computer’s operations
• A collection of complex electrical circuits containing
thousands or millions of transistors, which are placed or
installed over an integrated circuit
• The integrated circuit is also called a chip/ microchip, because
all the transistors are designed or placed on a very small
silicon chip
What is Central Processing Unit (CPU)?
• The function of a CPU is to execute the stored software
instructions, turning data into information
• These instructions are executed in machine language
Functions of CPU
• There are TWO sections in CPU: Control Unit and
Arithmetic Logic Unit
Control Unit (CU)

• Like a “human brain”

• Informs the entire computer on how to execute program

Controls and
Directs other
coordinates all
units/sections to
Functions of computer activities
execute instruction.
Control Unit following instructions
CU does not execute
received from computer
instructions
programs

Directs data movements between

memory and ALU, between
memory and I/O devices
Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

• ALU executes two types of operations.

ALU

Basic arithmetic Logical operation

operation

Arithmetic operations: Logical operations:

+, -, *, / AND, OR and NOT

Compares operations:
=,<, >
Microprocessor Chip

• The CPU or processor can be present in various forms

and is placed on a motherboard
• In a Personal Computer (PC), a processor is a
microprocessor chip
• In bigger systems such as mainframes and
supercomputers, a few circuit boards are used
• For smart devices such as mobile phones, the processor
is integrated onto a single chipset, referred to as
System-on-a-Chip (SoC)
Microprocessor Chip
Classified into several types, with the main classifications being:

1. Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) Chip

• Most commonly used
• Popularised by Intel and has become the basis of its
microprocessors
• This chip design has been widely used and many programs
have been written specifically for this type of chip
2. Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) Chip
• Uses the approach of reduced instruction set computing,
which involves less instruction
• Its design is simpler and cheaper than the complex instruction
set computing chip
• Mostly used in high-powered microcomputers
Memory

• The memory is separated from the CPU

• Data and instruction need to be present
inside memory first
• Holds the data and instructions
• Can be used for storing:
 Storing OS & other system software
programs
 Storing application programs
 Storing data temporarily
 Storing data required during processing
 Providing additional storage when
required
Memory

System Bus Electrical channel allows the various devices to communicate

with one another
Address Bus Transfers address of the memory block to write/read
onto/from the address bus
Data Bus Transfers data to the data bus
Control Bus Raises appropriate signal on the control bus like R (read) or
W (write) to inform other devices
Types of memory
• Provides flexibility and expandability to the
computer
• Contains important information required every
time the computer system started
• Eg: system time and date
Complementary • It is where a program that controls the basic
Metal Oxide operations of the computer is loaded in at the
Semiconductor factory
(CMOS) • Four types of ROM
1. PROM
2. EPROM
3. EEPROM
Read Only
4. Flash Memory
Memory (ROM)
• Stores the programs and data being processed by
CPU
• Two types of RAM:
1. DRAM – Holds data in dynamic manner (data not
stored continuously but refreshed continuously)
2. SRAM – holds data continuously (as long as there
Random Access
is electricity)
Memory (RAM)
Data Representation:

• The numbering system used by computers are

the binary numbers
• It is called binary digit (bit)
• Bit represent zero (0) and one (1)
Numbering System

System Base Symbol Used by Used by

human? computer?
Decimal 10 0, 1, … 9 Yes No
Binary 2 0, 1 No Yes
Octal 8 0, 1, … 7 No No
Hexadecimal 16 0, 1, … 9, A, No No
B, … F
Numbering System
Decimal Binary Octal Hexadecimal
0 0 0 0
1 1 1 1
2 10 2 2
3 11 3 3
4 100 4 4
5 101 5 5
6 110 6 6
7 111 7 7
8 1000 10 8
9 1001 11 9
10 1010 12 A
11 1011 13 B
12 1100 14 C
13 1101 15 D
14 1110 16 E
15 1111 17 F
Coding Scheme :
Code Definition
American Standard These code represent text in
Code for Information computers, communication equipment
Interchange (ASCII) and other devices that use text

Extended Binary An 8-bit character encoding that is

Coded Decimal usually used in IBM mainframe
Interchange Code operating system and IBM computer
(EBCDIC)
Unicode A 16-bit code invented to cater for the
need of international language and
Japanese
Numbering System

LIKE = 01001100 01001001 01001011 01000101

System Unit :

A hardware unit or space where the processor, memory chips,

ports, buses, additional slots, board and other electrical
components are located.

Computer System Unit

System Unit:

Power Supply
Read Only
Memory Chip

Motherboard
Slot and Personal
Expansion Slot Computer
Memory Card

Port
System Unit: Power Supply

• The power supply plays the role of changing

electrical current from alternating current
(AC) to direct current (DC)
• Normally, there is a fan to cool down the
transformer and other components
• If the electrical power is not uniform (for
example, there is high and low voltage or
Power Supply power surge), this may spoil the main board,
hard disks and others
• Hence, it would be better to install a special
equipment like uninterrupted power supply
(UPS), voltage regulator and so on
System Unit: Motherboard

• A.k.a system board, mainboard, logic board

and planar board) is a communication
network for the entire computer system
• Every component of the system unit is
connected directly to the motherboard
• Functions as a data bus that enables various
components to communicate with each other
Motherboard
• External devices like the keyboard, mouse
and monitor cannot communicate with the
system unit without the motherboard
• The motherboard is a thin circuit board that is
filled up with sockets and electronic
components including various types of chips
System Unit: Motherboard
System Unit: Motherboard

What is a Motherboard?
System Unit: ROM Chip

• Contains a program that has been developed and “burnt”

into the chip at the factory
• This program is required to start operating the computer
such as hardware checking, basic input/output system
(BIOS) and so on
• Usually called the BIOS chip and is partly hardware and
partly software
• BIOS provides a service enabling software to
Read Only communicate with the input and output devices
Memory Chip • When a computer is switched on, BIOS will perform
power-on self-test (POST) such as diagnostic tests for the
CPU and memory
• It will then test communications with the hardware such as
the keyboard, disk drive and others
• Finally, the BIOS will boot up the operating system and
submit control to the operating system
System Unit: Slot and Expansion Board

• Many computers are of the open architecture

• Expansion means adding more memory, devices or
software through the expansion slot and the
expansion board
• It is a socket on the main board, which enables an
expansion card to be installed
• An expansion card/ expansion board/ adapter/ card,
Slot and is actually a circuit board that can add more memory,
Expansion Slot
input/output device control or software to a computer
• An expansion card is inserted into the slot inside the
system unit
• A port on the card enables cabling to be connected
from the added card to the device outside the system
unit
System Unit: Port

• Port is a connecting socket located outside the

system unit
• Enables software devices or input/output devices to
be plugged in for connection to the computer so that
Port
they can communicate with the computer system
• Cable can be used to connect input/output devices to
the system unit through the port
SYSTEM CLOCK

• The system clock is a circuit chip, which

generates electronic pulses at a fixed
rate to synchronise or control timing
activities of processing
• The system clock controls the speed of
operation inside the computer
• This speed is measured in megahertz
(MHz)
• One megahertz is equal to one million
cycles per second
• The faster the clock speeds, the faster
the computer’s ability to process
information
BUS LINE

• A.k.a “bus” connects the CPU

components with each other
• Also connects the CPU to various
other components on the
motherboard
• It is a data passage way along
which bits move (similar to
highways)
• The more lanes it has, the faster
the traffic moves and the bigger the
bus capacity is, the faster the speed
of computer execution