How a ComputerWorks
Addressable Memory
- composed of binary digits: bits
- bits grouped by 8 into bytes
- each byte has an address
- bytes grouped into words
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
- reads bytes and words from memory
- operates on the bits (adds, shifts, etc.) based on the numeric instruction code also read from memory
- writes bytes and words into memory
Input and Output (I/O)
- printers, terminals, modems, etc.