4.3 - Programming Language Classification

Question 1

What does processor specific mean and which type of language does this refer to?

Answer 1

Low-level languages
They are specific to the type of processor they are written for and directly affect the computers processor

Question 2

What are the two categories of low-level languages?

Answer 2

Machine code
Assembly language

Question 3

What is machine code?

Answer 3

Uses only the binary digits 1 and 0 to represent instructions

Question 4

What are the cons of machine code?

Answer 4

• very long
• extremely difficult for human to understand
• prone to errors
• difficult to debug
• not portable

Question 5

What are the pros of machine code?

Answer 5

• programmers are not constrained
• no need to translate machine code before executing -> good for embedded systems and realtime applications

Question 6

What is assembly language?

Answer 6

Developed with the intention of simplifying the process of writing computer programs. Mnemonics are used in place of the binary instructions in machine code

Question 7

What are the pros of assembly language?

Answer 7

• more compact than machine code
• less error prone than machine code
• shorter to write

Question 8

What are high-level languages?

Answer 8

Uses English instructions and mathematical symbols instead of binary digits or mnemonics

Question 9

What are the pros of high-level languages?

Answer 9

• easier to learn and understand
• easier to debug due to indentation, commenting and named variables
• can use built-in functions which saves time
• portable as programs are not specific to certain processors

Question 10

What are the cons of high-level languages?

Answer 10

They’re not platform specific so must be translated into machine code before being executed which can be time-consuming

Question 11

What is an imperative high-level language?

Answer 11

Formed from instructions that specify how the computer should complete a task

Question 12

What are declarative languages?

Answer 12

Describes what a computer should do (SQL)