Question

Internally, the CPU consists of what two units?

Short answer

Answer: The two main units of a CPU are the Control Unit (CU) and the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU).

Step-by-step solution

Understanding the CPU

A CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the primary component of a computer that is responsible for executing instructions of a computer program. It can be considered the "brain" of the computer, as it performs most of the processing inside.

Identifying the two main units of a CPU

The CPU consists of two main units: the Control Unit (CU) and the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU).

Describing the Control Unit (CU)

The Control Unit is responsible for managing the flow of instructions and data within the CPU. It directs the operations of the other components and makes sure that the instructions are executed in the correct sequence. The CU fetches instructions from memory, decodes them, and then sends the appropriate signals to the ALU or other hardware components to perform the required operations.

Describing the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU)

The Arithmetic and Logic Unit is responsible for performing the actual computations and logical operations that the CPU processes. The ALU can perform various operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, as well as bitwise operations and comparisons. The result of these computations is then stored in registers or written back to memory. In conclusion, the two main units of a CPU are the Control Unit (CU) and the Arithmetic and Logic Unit (ALU), which together perform all the necessary tasks to execute instructions and process data within a computer system.