A
computer is a machine which manipulates data according to a list of instructions.
A general purpose
computer has four main sections: the arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), the
control unit, the memory, and the input and output devices (
collectively termed I/O). These parts are interconnected by busses, often made of groups of wires.
The control unit, ALU, registers, and basic I/O (and often other hardware closely linked with these) are collectively known as a central processing unit (CPU). Early CPUs were composed of many separate components but since the mid-1970s CPUs have typically been constructed on a single integrated circuit called a
microprocessor.