Structured computer organization; (2nd ed.)
Structured computer organization; (2nd ed.)
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In early computers, a cell, the smallest addressable unit of main memory, was the same as a word, the collection of bits that could be transferred between memory and the CPU in one operation. Typical word sizes varied from 24 bits (CDC 3100) to 64 bits (IBM Stretch--q.v.). If a programmer wanted to process less than a full word, he or she would have to fetch the entire word and then use appropriate machine instructions to extract the desired portion.