How Computers Work
SRAM
fast memory made of flip-flops (cache)
Source board
This definition comes from the board below. Open it to see the term in context.
Logic From SwitchesHow Computers WorkAlso defined on The Memory Hierarchy.
More terms from this board
- abstraction laddereach layer built from the one below and hiding it: transistor → gate → adder/register → CPU. Moore's law = transistors-per-chip roughly doubling every ~2 years.
- ALUarithmetic logic unit (the adder + more)
- AND/OR/NOT/XORboth/either/invert/differ
- clockthe tick that advances flip-flops
- combinationaloutput depends only on current inputs
- flip-flop / latch1 bit of memory via feedback
- full adderadds a carry-in
- half adderXOR(sum)+AND(carry)
- logic gatea circuit computing a boolean rule
- NAND (NOT-AND)UNIVERSAL — builds every other gate
- ripple-carrychained full adders
- transistor (MOSFET)a voltage-controlled switch
- truth tablethe gate's full input→output map