Microprocessors are the most complicated ICs. They are composed of millions of transistors that have been configured as thousands of individual digital circuits, each of which performs some specific logic function. A microprocessor is built entirely of these logic circuits synchronized to each other.
Just like a marching band, the circuits perform their logic function only on direction by the bandmaster. The bandmaster in a microprocessor, so to speak, is called the clock. The clock is a signal that quickly alternates between two logic states. Every time the clock changes state, every logic circuit in the microprocessor does something. Calculations can be made very quickly, depending on the speed (“clock frequency”) of the microprocessor.
Microprocessors contain some circuits, known as registers, that store information. Registers are predetermined memory locations. Each processor has many different types of registers.Permanent registers are used to store the preprogrammed instructions required for various operations (such as addition and multiplication). Temporary registers store numbers that are to be operated on and also the result. Other examples of registers include the “program counter,” the “stack pointer,” and the “address” register.
Microprocessors can perform millions of operations per second on data. In addition to computers, microprocessors are common in video game systems, televisions, cameras, and automobiles.
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