What part of a microprocessor is used for storing and modifying data?

The registers in a microprocessor are small storage locations that hold data temporarily while the processor is executing instructions. They are essential for performing operations on data quickly because they allow for immediate access to the data without the latency associated with fetching it from slower memory types, such as RAM. Each register can store a small amount of data, typically enough to hold a single instruction, an integer, a floating-point number, or an address.

Registers are directly accessible by the CPU and play a crucial role in the execution of operations, as they store both the data to be manipulated and the results of computations. This is why they are specifically used for storing and modifying data during processing tasks within the microprocessor. In contrast, other options like cache memory, RAM, and ROM serve different purposes: cache speeds up access to frequently used data but does not directly handle operations, RAM is slower and used for broader storage but isn’t as immediate for processing, while ROM is used for permanent storage of firmware and instructions that won’t change.