Minecraft CPU

Students in year eleven Software Design and Development have been investigating the topic hardware and software. This is a complicated topic that requires an understanding the brain of the computer - the Central Processing Unit (or CPU). Within it, students explore the various components such as the accumulator, address register, program counter, data buses and RAM.

Since the CPU components are so small and near impossible to see with the naked eye, students have been using Minecraft to experiment and track the passage of data through an 8-bit CPU constructed in Minecraft. Several well known international YouTubers built these systems and generously donated their constructions to Newcastle High School to support our students. Within this environment, it is easier to identify the flow of data from one component to another and develop an understanding of basic machine code processing.