See how billions of simple logic gates combine to create processors that run your apps
Part of Digital Logic & Computer Fundamentals
Educational content slides
Start: AND, OR, NOT gates
Combine into: Half-adder (adds two bits)
Combine into: Full-adder (adds with carry)
Combine into: 8-bit adder (adds numbers up to 255)
Keep combining: ALU, CPU, computer
Your laptop has billions of transistors (tiny switches). Each group of transistors forms gates. Gates form circuits. Circuits form your entire computer.
Test your understanding with this quiz.
You're building a 4-bit calculator by chaining adders. Why do you need full-adders instead of just half-adders?
Complete this exercise and get AI-powered feedback.
Every device makes trade-offs: battery vs performance, size vs cooling, cost vs speed.
Recognizing these constraints helps you design better software—or spot opportunities for better hardware.