• Question: What are microprocessors?

    Asked by lauren1997 to Tom on 14 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by madiya, maisha07.
    • Photo: Tom Crick

      Tom Crick answered on 14 Jun 2011:

      Hi lauren1997, a microprocessor is essentially the “brain” of the computer: the central processing unit (CPU). The first microprocessors emerged in the early 1970s and were used for electronic calculators, but now modern microprocessors are used in pretty much everything, from cars and fridges, to mobile phones and toys. Not just computers!

      A key thing to remember is that a microprocessor is not clever or intelligent — it is an electronic device that is capable of running a simple set of instructions very quickly (millions of times a second!). You need a human to tell it what to do: hence programming.

      There is a lot of cutting-edge research looking at how to use millions of microprocessors to model the human brain, but true artificial intelligence is still a long way away…

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