central processing unit (CPU)

The central processing unit or the microprocessor is the core of the computer. It has the electronic circuitry to process the input data to get the required information. It is the processor which executes the instructions.
Another component known as 'Random Access Memory'(RAM) resides inside this unit and it stores the data that the CPU uses for processing. But this memory is volatile which means that the data will be erased once the computer is switched off.