Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
putational devices that surround us in our daily life are universal digital computers.
Let us consider the implementation of von Neumann principles on the example of a
typical representative of this category of devices—a personal computer.
Computers of this type are built on the modular principle and represent a set of
separate units. They communicate with each other using a special information
highway—the bus. To create a flat bus multicore cables are usually used. The set
of bus wires is divided into separate groups to transfer the address code of the
operation to be performed, data, and control signals.
The principal computer components include (Fig.
2.5
) a storage device, an
arithmetic logic unit, and a control device.
The storage device, or memory, is a collection of cells designed to store
information. Each cell is assigned a unique number called the address. Information
stored in the cell may be both machine instructions and data. A machine instruction
Fig. 2.5 Structure of a modern personal computer: (a) block scheme, (b) spatial location of
devices
