054. the brain: understanding the fetch-decode-execute cycle (ks3)
Explore the Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle to understand exactly how a computer's Central Processing Unit processes instructions and performs calculations.
The Central Processing Unit, or CPU, is the brain of the computer. But how does it actually "think"? It follows a relentless, high-speed loop called the Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle. In this lesson, we will slow time down to explore this cycle step-by-step, uncovering exactly how the processor retrieves instructions, understands them, and carries out complex calculations billions of times per second.
Last modified: March 25th, 2026
