32 vs 64 bit...or, what exactly does 'processing information' mean

Posted by jasonbogd on Stack Overflow See other posts from Stack Overflow or by jasonbogd
Published on 2010-03-28T06:52:11Z Indexed on 2010/03/28 7:03 UTC
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memory

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computer-architecture

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processor

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operating-system

I am having trouble understanding the difference between a 32 bit processor and 64 bit processor. I know that a 32 bit processor can access 32 bits at a time while a 64 bit processor can access 64 bits at a time. But what exactly does it mean to access a certain number of bits at one time?

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