Microprocessor, also called CPU (Central Processing Unit). This is the nucleus of the computer: it carries out the instructions it receives from the different programs and supervises all aspects of machine operation as a whole. The microprocessor carries out all the calculations, manages data transfer through the memories and the disks, and activates/deactivates machine components.
The tempo at which the microprocessor (and most of the computer circuits) works is given by an electric signal (called clock) generated by the computer and composed of rapid-fire pulses-hundreds of millions per second. The clock speed (and therefore the microprocessor speed) is measured in MegaHertz (MHz, or millions of pulses per second) or, more recently, in GigaHertz (GHz, or billions of pulses per second). The fastest processors available for assembled computers as of May 2002 run at 2.1 GHz; that is, they can perform a little over two billion elementary operations per second. Faster and faster processors are always being developed; the most widely distributed are Intel's Pentium family and Athlon AMD.
The microprocessor is almost always hidden underneath a heat sink and a small cooling fan.

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