Ask HN: Should the CPU be compared to the mitochondrion instead of the brain?

1 points by l3robot ↗ HN
The CPU is often compared to the brain. This analogy have caused lots of misconceptions. Could the mitochondrion be a better analogy?

3 comments

[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 16.2 ms ] thread
No way.

The main function of the mitochondria is to transform ADP to ATP. A good analogy is that ADP is an uncharged battery and ATP is a charged battery, so the mitochondria are the rechargers.

The ATP can be used in other parts of the cell to make something useful, like moving or building a molecule. To use it, the ATP is split and it produces ADP. So they are like a battery.

The function of mitochondria is totally unrelated to the function of CPU and brain.