User:74s181/sandbox/74181
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 74181 is a 4 bit ALU bit slice implemented as a 7400 series TTL integrated circuit. It was the first complete ALU on a single chip[1] and was used as the arithmetic / logic core in the CPUs of many historically significant minicomputers and other devices.
The 74181 represents an evolutionary step between CPUs of the 1960s that were constructed using discrete logic gates and the single chip CPUs or microprocessors of today. Although no longer used in commercial products, the '181 is still referenced in computer organization textbooks and technical papers, and is sometimes used in 'hands-on' college courses to train future computer architects.