Objectives

After reading this chapter, you should be able to answer the following questions:

What is a switch and how does it work in a computer?
What is the binary number system and what role does it play in a computer system?
What is inside the CPU and how do these components operate?
How does a CPU process data and instructions?
What is cache memory?
What types of RAM are there?
What is a bus and how does it function in a computer system?
How do manufacturers make CPUs so that they run faster?

Chapter 9: Behind the Scenes: Inside the Systems Unit