The Processor (CPU)

The processor, or CPU, carries out the instructions that run programs. It is often called the brain of the computer.

Modern processors can perform billions of operations every second.

It performs calculations, makes decisions and controls the other parts. It works at incredible speed, often billions of steps every second.

Modern processors have several cores, which are like several workers doing jobs at the same time. This lets a computer run many apps at once without slowing down too much. A processor gets hot when it works hard, so computers have fans or other cooling to keep it safe.