Microprocessor

A programmable processor whose central processing unit is implemented on one or more integrated circuits. It executes instructions to perform arithmetic, logic, control, and data-transfer operations.

Instruction set architecture: The programmer-visible specification of a processor’s instructions, registers, data types, and memory behavior. It defines the contract between software and the microprocessor’s implementation.
Semiconductor: A material whose electrical conductivity can be controlled between that of a conductor and an insulator. Semiconductor materials provide the controllable electrical behavior used in processor devices.
Intel 4004: A 4-bit microprocessor introduced by Intel in 1971 for the Busicom 141-PF calculator. It became the first commercially available single-chip microprocessor.
Personal computer: A general-purpose computer designed for individual use. Microprocessors made affordable, programmable desktop and home computers possible.
Central processing unit: The part of a computer that executes instructions and directs operations. A microprocessor implements a CPU in integrated-circuit form; a CPU need not be a single chip.
Microarchitecture: The internal organization and design choices used to implement a processor’s instruction set architecture. It determines how this processor fetches, decodes, and executes instructions.
Transistor: An electronic device that controls current or voltage and can act as a switch or amplifier. Billions of transistors form the switching elements of modern microprocessors.
Federico Faggin: An Italian-American physicist and engineer who led the design of the Intel 4004 and Intel 8008. His silicon-gate design work helped make the 4004 feasible as a commercial chip.
Microcontroller: A compact integrated circuit combining a processor core with memory and peripherals for embedded control. Unlike a standalone microprocessor, it usually includes memory and interfaces on the same chip.
Microcode: Low-level control instructions inside some processors that implement machine-level instructions. Microcode describes an internal control layer, not the processor chip itself.

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