ALU or Arithmetic Logical Unit is a fundamental component of a central processing unit (CPU) that performs arithmetic operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and logical operations such as AND, OR, NOT, XOR, etc. There are several synonyms for the term ALU, depending on the context, including arithmetic unit, computational unit, numeric accelerator, and math coprocessor. Other terms like processing unit, calculation unit, and computing engine are also used to describe the function of ALU. In short, ALU is a crucial element in the CPU responsible for executing mathematical and logic functions, helping the computer process information faster and more efficiently.