Computer architecture
The descriptions of a small number of key architectures from the history of computing mentioned in the previous section included some terms that may or may not be familiar to you. This section will provide an introduction to the building blocks used to construct modern-day processors and related computer subsystems.
One ubiquitous feature of modern computers is the use of voltage levels to indicate data values. In general, only two voltage levels are recognized: a low level and a high level. The low level is often assigned the value zero and the high level assigned the value one. The voltage at any point in a circuit (digital or otherwise) is analog in nature and can take on any voltage within its operating range. When changing from the low level to the high level, or vice versa, the voltage must pass through all voltages in between. In the context of digital circuitry, the transitions between low and high levels happen quickly and the circuitry is designed...
