The Evolution Of The Microprocessor

2289 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: History of development computers

Only once in a lifetime will a new invention come about to touch every aspect of our lives. Such a device that changes the way we work, live, and play is a special one, indeed. The Microprocessor has been around since 1971 years, but in the last few years it has changed the American calculators to video games and computers (Givone
1). Many microprocessors have been manufactured for all sorts of products; some have succeeded and some have not. This paper will discuss the evolution and history of the most prominent 16 and 32 bit microprocessors in the microcomputer and how they are similar to and different from each other.
Because microprocessors are a subject that most people cannot relate to and do not know much about, this paragraph will introduce some of the terms that will be in- volved in the subsequent paragraphs. Throughout the paper the 16-bit and 32-bit mi- croprocessors are compared and contrasted. The number 16 in the 16-bit microproces- sor refers how many registers there are or how much storage is available for the mi- croprocessor (Aumiaux, 3). The microprocessor has a memory address such as A16, and at this address the specific commands to the microprocessor are stored in the memory of the computer (Aumiaux, 3). So with the 16-bit microprocessor there are
576 places to store data. With the 32-bit microprocessor there are twice as many places to store data making the microprocessor faster.
Another common term which is mentioned frequently in the paper is the oscil- lator or the time at which the processors “clock” ticks. The oscillator is the pace maker for the microprocessor which tells what frequency the microprocessor can proc- ess information, this value is measured in Mega-hertz or MHz. A nanosecond is a measurement of time in a processor, or a billionth of a second. This is used to measure the time it takes for the computer to execute an instructions, other wise knows as a cy- cle. There are many different types of companies of which all have their own family of processors. Since the individual processors in the families were developed over a fairly long period of time, it is hard to distinguish which processors were introduced in order. This paper will mention the families of processors in no particular order. The first microprocessor that will be discussed is the family of microprocessors called the
9900 series manufactured by Texas Instruments during the mid-70s and was developed

Show More
Related

  • Comparing and Contrasting Teradyne's Traditional Project Execution Strategy to the Approach It Used in Jaguar

    522 Words  | 2 Pages

    The inter-temporal relationship between every task was specified in advance so the impact of delay of a task on other tasks could be calculated.

    Read More

  • Nt1330 Unit 6

    677 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cycle time- The time needed for arrival of work units at a station is the cycle time.

    Read More

  • Macintosh Vs. IBM

    3162 Words  | 7 Pages

    (BIOS) in the IBM. In turn, they designed a BIOS of their own which could be

    Read More

  • International Business Machines (IBM)

    752 Words  | 2 Pages

    was introduce in 1971. IBM then came out with more advance computers such as System/38 in 1978 and the AS / 400 in 1988.

    Read More

  • What Was The Impact Of Technology In The 1900's

    387 Words  | 1 Pages

    Over the years, technology has developed greatly. Inventions now compared to those in the past completely outshine the latter, and is always being worked on. For these reasons, technology has had a great impact on how we, as humans live our lives.

    Read More

  • Dell Computers Strategy

    1587 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1985 the company produced (in China) the first computer of its own design (the "Turbo PC").

    Read More

  • Cyberculture and the Future of Print

    1115 Words  | 3 Pages

    The technology that is available to the public today is mind-blowing. In my lifetime alone, I have seen astounding technological progress: from the home computer to the DVD player, to truly surreal medical breakthroughs. A new era is taking hold of society. We are faster, better educated, richer, and livelonger. All of these things can be attributed to the technological advances that have occurred within the last fifty years. Thanks to the “modern marvels” of our time, we can watch big-screen quality movies in our own homes, brew an awesome cup of French espresso without leaving the kitchen, and cooler still—communicate with someone in China, without ever picking up the phone or using a pen.

    Read More

  • Health Care Technology : Our Friend, Or Enemy

    1306 Words  | 3 Pages

    Is technology going to become the revolution and the epicenter of our planet? The clock is ticking, the work is piling up, and with only a few hours to go before sunrise you stop and realize that you have just absorbed almost nothing. Some would agree when I say that this situation encapsulates one of the common problems in this era. Although with the help of technological progress, not only has every aspect of life gotten faster but more efficient. However, these advancements are not to take for granted. Most people do not realize the complexity of the processes that occur when they use technologies like the Internet or computers. Nevertheless, are the devices that people use in their day-to-day lives essential? As generations come and go, they each possess a value that strikes apart from one another. In this generation it is crucial that technology is simply ubiquitous. You can find technology anywhere; at school, a store and even at your local hospital. Technology has provided us with many advancements in our health care, there are plenty of medical technology uses in our health care. Not long ago, people started wearing wristbands that recorded the number of steps they took, their heart rates and sleep cycles. But not only did these bands help the patients, they paved the way for a new generation of gadgets that have become tools to improve health care delivery and outcomes. As you can see technology provides us to many of our enhancements in our medical field. The benefits of technology on our health care is that it contributes to our new health innovations, offers us information technology, and better patient care.

    Read More

  • Computer Processors

    471 Words  | 1 Pages

    Processor speeds are measured in megahertz (MHz) and now come in speeds of up to 1000 MHz (1 GHz), which is very fast. This is almost ten times faster than the speed of most home computers, which average from 133 MHz to 166 MHz. Intel and AMD have been in a race to break the 1 GHz speed barrier, and the number of megahertz in the newest processors is not as significant as it was in earlier processors. For example, the difference between a 133 MHz processor and a 166 MHz processor is

    Read More

  • The History of Intel

    5720 Words  | 12 Pages

    The microprocessor has changed our lives in so many ways that it is difficult to recall how different things were before its invention. During the 1960's, computers filled many rooms. Their expensive processing power was available only to a few government labs, research universities, and large corporations. Intel was founded on July 18,1968 by engineers, Gordon Moore, Robert Noyce, Andrew Grove, and Arthur Rock. Rock became Chairman, Moore was President, Noyce was Executive Vice President in charge of product development and worked with Moore on long range planning, and Grove headed manufacturing. The purpose of the new company was to design and manufacture very complex silicon chips using large-scale integration (LSI) technology. Moore and Grove's vision was to make Intel the leader in developing even more powerful microprocessors and to make Intel-designed chips the industry standard in powering personal computers. Moore and Noyce wanted to seek Intel because they wanted to regain the satisfaction of research and development in a small growing company. Although the production of memory chips was starting to become a commodity business in the late 1960's, Moore and Noyce believed they could produce chip versions of their own design that would perform more functions at less cost for the customer and thus offer a premium price. Intel's unique challenge was to make semiconductor memory functional. Semiconductor memory is smaller in size, provides great performance, and reduces energy consumption. This first started when Japanese manufacturer Busicom asked Intel to design a set of chips for a family of high-performance programming calculators. Intel's engineer, Ted Hoff, rejected the proposal and i...

    Read More

  • The History of The Microprocessor

    1787 Words  | 4 Pages

    We have the microprocessor to thank for all of our consumer electronic devices, because without them, our devices would be much larger. Microprocessors are the feat of generations of research and development. Microprocessors were invented in 1972 by Intel Corporation and have made it so that computers could shrink to the sizes we know today. Before, computers took a room because the transistors or vacuum tubes were individual components. Microprocessors unified the technology on one chip while reducing the costs. Microprocessor technology has been the most important revolution in the computer industry in the past forty years, as microprocessors have allowed our consumer electronics to exist.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Modern Technology

    903 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is no doubt that the accomplishments made through technology are astonishing. Technology has made amazing impacts on everything from science in space to medical science to the devices we use every day that make our lives easier. People are living longer and better than ever before, but we can’t forget how to live without it. “Just because technology is there and makes something easier doesn’t mean we should rely on it so much that we can’t think for ourselves,” (Levinson).

    Read More

  • The History Of Computers

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1953 it was estimated that there were 100 computers in the world. Computers built between 1959 and 1964 are often regarded as the "second generation" computers, based on transistors and printed circuits - resulting in much smaller computers. 1964 the programming language PL/1 released by IBM. 1964 the launch of IBM 360. These first series of compatible computers. In 1970 Intel introduced the first RAM chip. In 1975 IBM 5100 was released. In 1976 the Apple Computer Inc. was founded, to market Apple I Computer. Designed to Stephen Wozinak and Stephan Jobs. In 1979 the first compact disk was released around 1981 IBM announced PC, the standard model was sold for $2,880.00.

    Read More

  • The Impact of Computers On Our Lives

    2684 Words  | 6 Pages

    Only once in a lifetime will a new invention come about to touch every aspect of our lives. Such a device that changes the way we work, live, and play is a special one, indeed. A machine that has done all this and more now exists in nearly every business in the US and one out of every two households (Hall, 156). This incredible invention is the

    Read More

  • The Computer Evolution

    2687 Words  | 6 Pages

    The computer evolution has been an amazing one. There have been astonishing achievements in the computer industry, which dates back almost 2000 years. The earliest existence of the computer dates back to the first century, but the electronic computer has only been around for over a half-century. Throughout the last 40 years computers have changed drastically. They have greatly impacted the American lifestyle. A computer can be found in nearly every business and one out of every two households (Hall, 156). Our Society relies critically on computers for almost all of their daily operations and processes. Only once in a lifetime will a new invention like the computer come about.

    Read More

More about The Evolution Of The Microprocessor

Open Document