Microprocessor 1

1The Function of Computation

As in music theory, we cannot discuss the microprocessor without positioning it in the context of the history of the computer, since this component is the integrated version of the central unit. Its internal mechanisms are the same as those of supercomputers, mainframe computers and minicomputers. Thanks to advances in microelectronics, additional functionality has been integrated with each generation in order to speed up internal operations. A computer¹ is a hardware and software system responsible for the automatic processing of information, managed by a stored program. To accomplish this task, the computer’s essential function is the transformation of data using computation, but two other functions are also essential. Namely, these are storing and transferring information (i.e. communication). In some industrial fields, control is a fourth function. This chapter focuses on the requirements that led to the invention of tools and calculating machines to arrive at the modern version of the computer that we know today. The technological aspect is then addressed. Some chronological references are given. Then several classification criteria are proposed. The analog computer, which is then described, was an alternative to the digital version. Finally, the relationship between hardware and software and the evolution of integration and its limits are addressed.

NOTE.– This chapter does not attempt to replace a historical study. It gives only a few key ...