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LESSON 12
MICROPROCESSORS AND MICROCONTROLLERS

PART 1

Task 1. Learn the following words and word combinations:
A myriad, be interconnected in a chassis, discreet logic gates, binary-
coded decimal (BCD) arithmetic, affordable.

Task 2. Make up your own sentences using words and phrases
from the previous exercise.

TEXT 1
A MICROPROCESSOR
A microprocessor incorporates the functions of a computer's
central processing unit (CPU) on a single integrated circuit (IC), or at
most a few integrated circuits. It is a multipurpose, programmable
device that accepts digital data as input, processes it according to
instructions stored in its memory, and provides results as output. It is
an example of sequential digital logic, as it has internal memory.
Microprocessors operate on numbers and symbols represented in the
binary numeral system.
The advent of low-cost computers on integrated circuits has
transformed modern society. General-purpose microprocessors in
personal computers are used for computation, text editing,
multimedia display, and communication over the Internet. Many
more microprocessors are part of embedded systems, providing
digital control of a myriad of objects from appliances to automobiles
to cellular phones and industrial process control.
During the 1960s computer processors were constructed out of
small and medium-scale ICs each containing from tens to a few
hundred transistors. For each computer built, all of these had to be
placed and soldered onto printed circuit boards, and often multiple

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