Aritmeetilisloogikaüksuse

Aritmeetilisloogikaüksus, or ALU, is a fundamental digital circuit within a computer's central processing unit (CPU). Its primary function is to perform arithmetic and logic operations on binary numbers. Arithmetic operations include addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, while logic operations encompass comparisons like greater than, less than, and equal to, as well as boolean operations such as AND, OR, and NOT.

The ALU receives data from registers, which are small, high-speed storage locations within the CPU, and instructions from the control unit, which dictates what operation the ALU should perform. The result of the ALU's computation is typically stored back into a register or sent to memory. The speed and efficiency of the ALU are critical to the overall performance of a computer. Modern ALUs are capable of performing a vast number of operations very quickly, contributing to the rapid processing power of contemporary computing devices. The design of the ALU involves complex logic gates arranged in specific configurations to execute these diverse operations. It is a core component that enables a computer to execute program instructions by manipulating data.