A computer bus transfers data between components of a computer system.

In this
lesson, we'll talk about how a system bus works, what it's useful for, and what
aspects of it make for a good overall performance of a computer.

Computer System & System Bus Definitions

Before we describe what a computer system bus is, let's describe what a computer
system is. In very simple terms, a computer system is made up of three things:

1. First, there is the CPU (or central processing unit). It's like a railway's grand
central station where decisions are made, and just about everything that
wants to go anywhere must get routed through it at some point.

2. Second, computers have lots of destinations for the data to go (and stay) so it
can be used later, which we call its addressable memory. These are kind of
like houses with physical addresses, where the pieces of data live when
they're not being processed by the CPU.

3. Third, there are devices that do stuff with data instead of just storing it
(called input and output devices) so we can see or hear what's going on, or
interact with the data in some way.

Okay, now that we have a basic idea of a computer system, here's what a system
bus is. A system bus is kind of like all the train tracks that connect the CPU (the
grand central station) with the computer memory (the houses of addressable data)
and with the neat devices that let us interact (like the mouse, keyboard, screen, and
audio system).
In early computer systems, all the data traveled across actual cables, which got
pretty messy. Large bundles of wires were organized using bus bars, which is where
the term 'bus' comes from. Nowadays, most of those wires are typically gold-plated
traces (or tiny flat wires) on the computer's motherboard , a large flat surface that
all the electronic stuff gets mounted to. The most critical connection of any
computer system is the system bus.
Cables are still used in present-day computer systems, in particular to connect
external devices. The most common type of connection is a Universal Serial Bus
(or USB), which you can probably recognize. Many peripheral devices, such as
printers and scanners, use a USB connection.

How the System Bus Works

The system bus is a little bit more complicated than a single train track, but not too
much. Think of it as three rails per track, kind of like mass transit trains use. That's
because each track has to carry three different things: data, address, and control.

1. The data are the actual digital pieces of information that need to get
somewhere or do something.

2. The address information describes where the data is located and where it
needs to go during a particular operation.

3. The control part is like the instructions because data doesn't know what to
do with itself (think 'Lego Movie'), so this manages the flow of address and
data information. That includes which direction for the transfer of
information and exactly how data needs to be routed through the computer
system.

Because of these three different types of information, the system bus actually
consists of three buses.

Think of the system bus like an internal mass transportation system inside your
computer, bussing data from place to place.
Here's an example. Say you want to listen to a song which is on your disk drive.
That song is stored as data on that device. Somehow, that data has to get to a
device in your computer that knows how to turn it into sound and then play that on
your speakers. So, we specify the address of the MP3 file on the disk and the
address of the sound card using the address bus. We also use the control bus to tell
the song on the disk how to talk to the sound card. Now, all the traffic can get
underway on the data bus, allowing the song to play until it's over. All of this is
managed by the grand central station in the computer (the brains or CPU), but the
system bus makes the actual transfers happen.
An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) represents the fundamental building block of the
central processing unit of a computer. An ALU is a digital circuit used to perform
arithmetic and logic operations.

What Is an ALU?
An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) is a digital circuit used to perform arithmetic and
logic operations. It represents the fundamental building block of the central
processing unit (CPU) of a computer. Modern CPUs contain very powerful and
complex ALUs. In addition to ALUs, modern CPUs contain a control unit (CU).
Most of the operations of a CPU are performed by one or more ALUs, which load
data from input registers. A register is a small amount of storage available as part
of a CPU. The control unit tells the ALU what operation to perform on that data and
the ALU stores the result in an output register. The control unit moves the data
between these registers, the ALU, and memory.

How an ALU Works

An ALU performs basic arithmetic and logic operations. Examples of arithmetic
operations are addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Examples of logic
operations are comparisons of values such as NOT, AND, and OR.
All information in a computer is stored and manipulated in the form of binary
numbers, i.e. 0 and 1. Transistor switches are used to manipulate binary numbers
since there are only two possible states of a switch: open or closed. An open
transistor, through which there is no current, represents a 0. A closed transistor,
through which there is a current, represents a 1.
Operations can be accomplished by connecting multiple transistors. One transistor
can be used to control a second one - in effect, turning the transistor switch on or
off depending on the state of the second transistor. This is referred to as a gate
because the arrangement can be used to allow or stop a current.
The simplest type of operation is a NOT gate. This uses only a single transistor. It
uses a single input and produces a single output, which is always the opposite of
the input. This figure shows the logic of the NOT gate.
How a NOT gate processes binary data

Other gates consist of multiple transistors and use two inputs. The OR gate results
in a 1 if either the first or the second input is a 1. The OR gate only results in a 0 if
both inputs are 0. This figure shows the logic of the OR gate.

How an OR gate processes binary data

The AND gate results in a 1 only if both the first and second input are 1s. This figure
shows the logic of the AND gate.
How an AND gate processes binary data

The XOR gate, also pronounced X-OR gate, results in a 0 if both the inputs are 0 or if
both are 1. Otherwise, the result is a 1. This figure shows the logic of the XOR gate.

How an XOR gate processes binary data.

In this lesson, you will learn the importance of the control unit in operating your
computer. You'll also learn where it is, what it does, and a couple of different design
options.

What Is a Control Unit?

Understanding what goes on in your computer when you turn it on can be a bit
daunting. Let's take a look at one small (literally) component of your computer's
brain.
You probably know that the Central Processing Unit (CPU) is considered the
brains of your computer. In fact, the CPU contains not only the processor but also a
control unit. The control unit controls what the processor is able to access. The
processor is the part of the CPU that does the work: uses logic or mathematical
processes to execute commands. The control unit uses circuitry to help the
processor communicate with the software and hardware available on a computer.
So, what does that mean? Good question!

What Does a Control Unit Do?

Depending on the type of CPU you have, the control unit will do different things. It
may:

Send and receive control signals from other devices, working as the bridge
between the processor that is doing the work and the other devices in the
computer

Interpret instructions by converting the instructions it receives into the

format the processor needs to perform the function

Perform sequential instruction execution to make sure that as the processor

works, it is getting commands in the order it needs to receive them in

Guide data flow in and out of the processor and in and out of random
access memory (RAM), which is considered the working space of the
computer

Regulate and control timing signals for the computer, which means the
control unit is responsible for instigating what is called the machine cycle, or
the pulse of information packets, to make sure information packets are sent
out regularly (every few milliseconds)

Make sure that commands that come out of the CPU are carried out or
executed correctly, and if they aren't, the control unit institutes corrections.

Here's what happens:

Control Unit: Simple Data Flow Diagram