Serial Versus Parallel Information Transfer
Information flows through the computer in many ways. The CPU is the central point for most information. When you start a program, the CPU instructs the storage device to load the program into RAM. When you create data and print it, the CPU instructs the printer to output the data.
Because of the different types of devices that send and receive information, two major types of data transfers take place within a computer: parallel and serial. These terms are used frequently, but if you're not familiar with the differences between them, check out Figure 3.6.
Figure 3.6. Parallel data transfers move data 8 bits at a time, whereas serial data transfers move 1 bit at a time.
Parallel Information Transfers ...
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