Interrupt

Definitions

1. A signal to the processor that an event needs immediate attention, temporarily halting the current execution to run an interrupt handler. Hardware interrupts come from devices (keyboard, disk); software interrupts are triggered programmatically (system calls, exceptions).

   In plain English: A tap on the CPU's shoulder saying 'stop what you're doing and handle this right now' — how keyboards, mice, and other hardware get the processor's attention.

   Example: "Every keystroke triggers a hardware interrupt that makes the CPU briefly stop what it's doing to process your input."

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