9618 · 4.2
Assembly Language
Assembly language acts as a bridge between human-readable instructions and the raw binary code a CPU understands. An assembler translates these simple commands, called mnemonics, directly into machine code for the processor to execute.
Need to know
What you need to know
- Translates mnemonic opcodes into their machine code equivalents.
- Translates symbolic addresses (labels) into absolute memory addresses.
- Converts data constants into their internal machine representation.
- Writes the resulting object code and an assembly listing.
Explanation
From Human to Hardware
- Assembly uses mnemonics readable by humans (LDR, ADD, STR).
- An assembler translates each mnemonic to a machine code opcode (1:1).
- Special registers like the Accumulator (ACC), Index Register (IX), and Program Counter (PC) manage data and program flow.
- The Fetch-Decode-Execute cycle runs each instruction, directly controlling the CPU.