Hey Kernul,

The best way to understand the interaction of the various components in a computer is to analyze machine information flow-diagrams

Here we have a standard processor Data-Flow Diagram; this is for IBMs PowerPC

So lets look at what we have here:

Obviously; there are shapes and there are lines...
Each shape represents a single component; like an adder or a memory bank.
Each line represents a possible path along which information may flow.

Usually the size of a shape relates to the size of the components they represent.
Usually lines only allow information to flow in one direction; specified by the arrow.

Now well look at what these lines and shapes can tell us about the operation of computers...
But first of all; lets switch over to a simpler machine architecture:


The operation of computer processors is partitioned into discrete behavioral sequences called cycles.
Usually a computers clock will initiate a cycle each time the clock toggles.

Now were beginning to talk about computer I.S.A.( Instruction Set Architecture ) [ my favorite field in all of science ]

At the beginning of a computers execution cycle an instruction is loaded and then executed.

An instruction is just a chunk of data stored within the computers memory.
Here is how a common real-world instruction might look:

Each empty box represents a single bit; therefor a specific instruction would look more like this: 0010110001110100 or this..
0101110101001001 or this..
0011110101101010

Instructions are partitioned into different parts called fields; for example, an opcode field specifies what operation a component should execute ( it might tell the ALU to add or sub for example ), where as an operand field is sent directly to a component for use as data. ( it could be a number to be stored in memory; or a location in memory from which to read something )

I hope you've been able to follow thus-far
Ill continue tomorrow : )