what is the motherboard

A motherboard is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in a computer that holds and allows communication between many of the crucial electronic components of a system, such as the central processing unit (CPU) and memory. It is also referred to as the "mother" of all components attached to it, which often include peripherals, interface cards, and daughterboards. The motherboard provides the electrical connections by which the other components of the system communicate. It is made of plastic and silicon and is a complex component with various kinds of ports, slots, and cables connected to it. The base of a motherboard consists of a very firm sheet of non-conductive material, typically some sort of rigid plastic, and thin layers of copper or aluminum foil, referred to as traces, are printed onto this sheet. The motherboard contains a number of sockets and slots to connect the other components, such as the CPU, memory, hard drive, and video card. The PCB of a large motherboard may include six to 14 layers of fiberglass, copper connecting traces, and copper planes for power and signal isolation.