How a Processor Works, Explained Simply
Billions of tiny switches, a clock that ticks billions of times a second and a recipe followed to the letter: that's what is hiding inside the chip that runs our computers, phones and consoles. A guided tour, no equations required. The processor is often called the computer's "brain". It's a handy image, but a misleading one: a processor doesn't think. It carries out very simple orders, one at a time, at a speed that defies imagination. Physically, it's a sliver of silicon barely bigger than a fingernail, protected by a casing. You'll find one in a PC, of course, but also in a smartphone, a car, an internet router or a washing machine.
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