*Classical Computers* are the basis of modern information processing. Here, do not mind so much about the actual hardware that is doing the computation: it could be a computer, a smartphone or a microwave oven. All of these devices process [[Classical Information|classical information]] in the same way: in terms of [[Bit|bits]]. Modern computers are all built from the same basic building blocks, described in the *von-Neumann architecture*: ![[von-neumann-architecture.excalidraw.light.svg]] On a rather abstract level, a classical computer (in gray) takes inputs from an input device (left) and transforms the data that it receives into some output (right side). The input could be our mouse position, data from a network interface or a keystroke on a keyboard. The output data could be sent to another computer, printed or just shown on a screen. The heart of the computer is the central processing unit (CPU). It consists of mainly two parts: a control unit that makes sure that the program is executed correctly and the arithmetic/logic unit which does the actual computation. While computing, the CPU reads data from and stores data in a memory unit. The actual implementation (typically in silicon) and the vendor of the computer are independent of this abstract principle. This is similar to the way that the concept of a [[Quantum Computer|quantum computer]] is independent of the actual [[Platforms|platform]] used for its realization. >[!read]- Further Reading > - [[Classical Information]] > - [[Bit]] > - [[Quantum Computer]] >[!ref]- References