the cpu;

Central Processing Unit;

The CPU, also known as the microprocessor, is a complete computation engine that is fabricated on a single chip. It is a microchip that serves as the computer's 'brain' and 'heart'. It is this chip that recives data input, processes information and executes instructions.

The name of the first single chip micropressor was Intel 4004. It was introduced to the public in November 1971.

The following is a table of the progression of the CPU from its initial introduction to 2004.
TABLE

MIPS measures the performance of the CPU according to how many 'millions of instructions per second'.