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The architecture describes a computer with four main sections: the [[arithmetic and logic unit]] (ALU), the [[control unit|control circuitry]], the [[computer storage|memory]], and the input and output devices (collectively termed I/O). These parts are interconnected by a bundle of wires (a "[[computer bus|bus]]") and are usually driven by a timer or [[Clock signal|clock]] (although other [[event]]s could drive the control circuitry).
Conceptually, a computer's memory can be viewed as a list of cells (see [[block]]). Each cell has a numbered "address" and can store a small, fixed amount of information. This information can either be an instruction, telling the [[computer]] what to do, or data, the information which the computer is to process using the instructions that have been placed in the memory. In principle, any cell can be used to store either instructions or data.
The ALU is in many senses the heart of the computer. It is capable of performing two classes of basic operations: arithmetic operations, the core of which is the ability to add or subtract two numbers but also encompasses operations like "multiply this number by 2" or "divide by 2" (for reasons which will become clear later), as well as some others. The second class of ALU operations involves ''comparison'' operations, which, given two numbers, can determine if they are equal, and if not, which is bigger.
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