Definition
The central processing unit (CPU) is
{{Quote|is a traditional processor with the circuitry necessary to perform and execute instructions from programs on a computer.[1]
Overview
A CPU is made up of several different elements — the control unit, the arithmetic logic unit (ALU), the registers, and the basic input/output (I/O) unit, and often other hardware closely linked with these elements.
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.