What is a Microprocessor?

A microprocessor (sometimes abbreviated µP) is a digital electronic component with miniaturized transistors on a single semiconductor integrated circuit (IC). One or more microprocessors typically serve as a central processing unit (CPU) in a computer system or handheld device.

A microprocessor is an integrated circuit on a tiny silicon chip that contains thousands or millions of tiny on/off switches, known as transistors. The transistors are laid out along microscopic lines made of superfine traces of aluminum that store or manipulate data. These circuits manipulate data in certain patterns, patterns that can be programmed by software to make machines do many useful tasks. One of the biggest tasks microprocessors perform is acting as the brains inside a personal computer. The number of transistors on a chip has grown from 2,300 on the 4004 in 1971 to 5.5 million on today's Pentium® Pro processor. These advances have made today's microprocessors 1,000 faster than their predecessors. Computers are not the only way in which microprocessors are used. Microprocessors also help many devices--your telephone, thermostat, car, or a traffic light, for instance--to remember and adjust to incoming information. This lets your phone redial, your thermostat automatically ...  more

Microprocessors are simply a computer processor that has been configured into the design and function of a microchip. Sometimes referred to as a logic chip, this small component functions as the means of executing the command to start booting up a computer. As part of the process, a microprocessor initiates the activation of all the components necessary to allow the computer to be used, such as waking the operating system. The basic functionality of a microprocessor is all based on the inherent ability to respond to and generate mathematical and logical operations. This function of small computer processors is made possible with the use of registers. Within the registers resides all the data required by the microprocessor to execute such basic functions as addition and subtraction. The configuration of the registers also allow the microprocessor to handle tasks such as comparing two different numbers, and retrieving numbers from various areas and redistributing them. At the core of ...  more