Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Machine code is a low-level programming language that consists of binary instructions directly understood by the computer's hardware. It represents the most basic level of instructions that a computer can execute.
The binary system is a number system that uses only two digits, 0 and 1, to represent numbers and perform calculations. It is the foundation of machine code because each instruction in machine code is represented using binary digits.
Base-Two: Base-two refers to the binary numeral system, which is also known as base-2. In this system, numbers are expressed using only two symbols (0 and 1), making it ideal for representing machine code instructions.
Assembly Language: Assembly language is a low-level programming language that uses mnemonic codes to represent machine code instructions. It provides a more human-readable representation of machine code and serves as an intermediary between high-level languages and machine code.