Introduction to Microprocessors

Want to understand how the central processing unit (CPU) of a microprocessor works? How the code you type is actually executed by your computer? Presented by engineers from Arm, this course provides you with an introduction to the central components of processors including: the Arithmetic Logic Unit, or ALU, and the arithmetic and logical operations it carries out; the Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle or FDE within different architectures; pipelining, or how a CPU decides what to prioritise and the challenges faced when doing so; types of memory and their uses; the process that high level code, such as C#, goes through to get converted into machine code; assembly code, an interim step between high level and machine level code; and how assembling and compiling work together to produce object code or executable files. There is also a practical opportunity to be introduced to an assembly language.

• The purpose, specs, components and activities of a CPU
• The differences and uses of RAM, ROM, and cache memory
• The purpose and activities of buses and registers
• Opcode, operands and memory addresses
• The purpose and operations of an arithmetic logic unit
• The fetch-decode-execute cycle
• The need for assembly and machine code
• Basic conversion of assembly code to machine code

• Experience of programming in object code, such as Python or C
• Basic Boolean algebra (AND, OR, XOR, NOT)