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Questions and Answers
What is a high-level programming language?
What is a high-level programming language?
High-level languages require detailed knowledge of the computer's internal architecture.
High-level languages require detailed knowledge of the computer's internal architecture.
False
What must happen to a program written in a high-level language before it can be executed by a computer?
What must happen to a program written in a high-level language before it can be executed by a computer?
It must be interpreted into a machine language.
What is the primary function of low-level languages?
What is the primary function of low-level languages?
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Who coined the term 'compiler'?
Who coined the term 'compiler'?
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Match the following phases of a compiler with their functions:
Match the following phases of a compiler with their functions:
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What is computer architecture?
What is computer architecture?
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Which of the following is NOT a category of computer architecture?
Which of the following is NOT a category of computer architecture?
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What is the Von Neumann Architecture?
What is the Von Neumann Architecture?
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All assembly language instructions are translated into two machine instructions.
All assembly language instructions are translated into two machine instructions.
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The central processing unit (CPU) is part of the ______ architecture.
The central processing unit (CPU) is part of the ______ architecture.
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What characterizes microarchitecture?
What characterizes microarchitecture?
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Study Notes
High-Level Languages
- High-level languages allow program development in a user-friendly context independent of hardware architecture.
- These languages provide a higher level of abstraction from the computer's native language semantics.
- Focus on programming logic rather than hardware components simplifies understanding and implementation.
- Programs must be interpreted into machine language before execution by the CPU.
- Examples include Java, Python, PHP, and Ruby.
Low-Level Languages
- Low-level languages interact directly with hardware components and manage operational semantics.
- Typically represented in binary (zeros and ones), offering little to no abstraction.
- Programs written in low-level languages can be executed directly on hardware without interpretation.
Compiler
- A compiler translates source code from high-level languages into low-level instructions for the CPU.
- The output of the compilation process is known as object code or object module.
- The term "compiler" was coined by computer scientist Grace Hopper in the 1950s.
Major Phases in a Compiler
- Scanning: The scanner reads source code characters and groups them for collective understanding.
- Lexical Analysis: Converts groups of characters into tokens, which are recognized by a lexical analyzer using a symbol table.
- Syntactic Analysis: Checks token arrangement according to the grammar rules of the source code.
- Syntax pertains to the correct order of tokens or keywords necessary to achieve desired outcomes.
Assembly Language
- Assembly language is a low-level language using mnemonic codes for human-readable instructions.
- It allows programmers to utilize names for memory blocks but requires knowledge of internal computer architecture for effective use.
Computer Architecture
- Defines interaction between software and hardware technology standards, forming a computer system or platform.
- Involves collaboration between computer scientists and engineers to design and ensure technological compatibility.
- Encompasses data storage devices, memory organization, networking components, data transmissions, and user interaction.
Categories of Computer Architecture
- System Design: Involves all hardware components such as CPUs and memory controllers.
- Instruction Set Architecture (ISA): Refers to embedded programming languages of CPUs that define functions and capabilities.
- Microarchitecture: Also known as computer organization, focuses on data paths, processing, and storage within the ISA.
Von Neumann Architecture
- Proposed by John Von Neumann in 1945, remains a foundation for general-purpose computers.
- Characterized by a single memory area that stores both program instructions and data.
- Operates as control-flow computers, utilizing a step-by-step process for executing operations.
- Fundamental processes include:
- Storing data and instructions as binary in primary storage.
- Fetching instructions serially, one at a time from memory.
- Decoding and executing fetched instructions in a continuous cycle.
Assembly Language
- Represents a major milestone in computer evolution, serving as a bridge between machine language and higher-level programming.
- Each instruction in assembly language translates to one machine instruction via an assembler.
- Is hardware-dependent, requiring an understanding of computer architecture to utilize effectively.
- Reflects operational codes (opcodes) of the processor, including specifics of processor registers and operand bit lengths.
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Description
This quiz explores the fundamentals of computer organization and high-level programming languages. Understand how these languages simplify program development by providing a user-friendly interface that abstracts hardware details. Test your knowledge on the essential concepts of languages and compilers.
