Which of the following is not a component of Central Processing Unit (CPU)?

Concept: The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is built from three principal internal functional units — the Control Unit (CU), the Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU), and a set of Registers — which together fetch, decode, and execute instructions, and hold data during processing. Any device outside these three units, even one connected to the computer, is a peripheral rather than a CPU component.

Application: Checking each option against this definition:

• Control Unit (CU) — directs the fetch-decode-execute cycle and coordinates signal flow between CPU parts; it is one of the three internal units.

• Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) — performs arithmetic and logical operations on data inside the processor; it is one of the three internal units.

• Memory Registers — small, high-speed storage locations built into the processor that hold instructions, addresses, and intermediate results; they are part of the CPU's internal memory.

• Visual Display Unit (VDU) — the monitor/screen hardware that displays output to the user; it is an output peripheral attached to the system, physically and functionally separate from the CPU package.

Cross-check: In the standard von Neumann model, a computer is organized into the CPU (CU + ALU + registers), Memory, and Input/Output devices. A monitor/VDU falls under I/O (output) devices rather than inside the CPU, so it is the one option that is not a CPU component.

Therefore, the Visual Display Unit (VDU) is not a component of the CPU.