Hi Ryan -- you might want to check the first part of a series of articles I'm writing on Designing a 4-Bit Computer from the Ground Up.There are lots of ways in which we might build a processor. A very common approach is to use what is known as a von Neumann architecture. The idea is that the processor talks to a memory that can contain both instructions and data. The basic unit of data that we use to store, represent, and manipulate data inside a computer is called a bit (binary digit). A bit can represent two values, 0 or 1.When we talk about the "width" of a memory, we are referring to the size (width) of the words it stores in terms of bits. For example, an 8-bit word consists of 8 bits. When we talk about the "depth" of a memory, we are referring to the number of words it contains.
In the context of computers, the term "bus" refers to a group of signals that perform a common function. The processor has an address bus that it uses to point to the locations in the memory, and a data bus that it uses to convey words of data back and forth between the processor and the memory (and input/output ports).
The early microprocessors were said to be 8-bit machines because they had an 8-bit data bus and the words in the memory were 8-bits wide. Later processors had 16-bit data busses, then 32-bits, then 64-bits, and so forth.If we have an 8-bit processor, then in the same way that the words in
the memory are 8-bits wide, the registers used to store and manipulate
data inside the processor will typically be 8 bits wide.The easiest way to think of this is to visualize a processor with an 8-bit data bus. Each bit has it's own pin on the processor and its own wire linking the processor to the memory. So we have a bus of 8 wires -- one end of the bus is connected to 8 pins on the processor -- the other end of the bus is connected to 8 pins on the memory. This allows the processor to read all 8 bits in or write all 8 bits out simultaneously; i.e., in parallel.
An alternative way of reading data in and out of the processor is serially using a single pin. In the case of a UART interface (most processors support one or more of these), we typically use two pins -- one to transmit data and the other to receive data.Historically, in some cases where the size of the package and the number of pins was a concern, but where speed was not an issue, the designers implemented all communication between the processor, the memory, and peripheral devices in serial. A good example of this was a family of simple processors used in cash registers back in the 1970s and 1980s.I hope this helps -- make sure to read the article mentioned at the top of this comment -- Max