Accumulator - GCSE Computer Science Definition

What is an accumulator?

In GCSE Computer Science, an accumulator is a register within the CPU that stores the results of calculations performed by the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU). It plays a crucial role in the Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle by temporarily holding intermediate values, reducing the need for frequent memory access.

Why is the accumulator important?

Without the accumulator, every result would need to be stored back into the main memory, which would slow down processing. Instead, the CPU can quickly retrieve and modify values in the accumulator, making computations more efficient.