After pressing the power button, when does the CPU, exactly, start working?

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SUMMARY

When the power button is pressed, the CPU begins functioning after the power supervisor circuit stabilizes voltage and power levels. The establishment of the electric field occurs almost instantaneously, allowing current to flow throughout the CPU. This process is not linear like water flow; instead, it resembles the behavior of a Newton's cradle, where electrons move in response to the electric field. Understanding the propagation of this field is essential for grasping how CPUs initiate operations.

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  • Understanding of power supervisor circuits
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  • Basic concepts of clocking in digital circuits
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wajed
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and which part of it exactly receives the foremost electron?
 
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Probably the part that makes sure that voltage and power levels are stable before enabling the rest of the CPU. That might sound somewhat cheeky, but it's true! (It's called a power supervisor circuit)

EDIT: The part about receiving the foremost electron is somewhat nonsensical since it's not like in a water pipe where one molecule of water makes its way through the pipe. You establish the electric field first (propagates outwards first) and then electrons jostle themselves around in a fashion not unlike a Newton's cradle:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton's_cradle

So the current starts up everywhere once the field is established. As for how the field propagates, well that goes along the length of the wire at some velocity a little less than the speed of light.
 
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you might want to read an electrical engineering book on sequential circuits vs. combinatorial circuits (i.e., the concept of clocking)
 

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