CPU

Stands for "Central Processing Unit." It is the brain of a computer. The CPU processes everything from basic instructions to complex functions.

Any time something needs to be computed, it gets sent to the CPU. Every day, it's compute this, compute that — you'd think the CPU would need a break after awhile. But no — just keeps on processing. It's why many people refer to the CPU as simply the "processor."

First Published: 2002
Last Updated: November 30, 1999