Programming Language - SS1 ICT Past Questions and Answers - page 2

High-level programming languages offer greater readability and abstraction compared to low-level languages. In high-level languages, programmers work with more human-readable syntax and structures that resemble natural language, making it easier to understand and write code. These languages also provide built-in functions and libraries that simplify complex tasks, increasing productivity. On the other hand, low-level languages like Assembly require programmers to work with more detailed instructions and symbolic representations of machine code. They offer less abstraction, requiring a deeper understanding of the hardware architecture.

Machine language is the lowest-level programming language consisting of binary code (0s and 1s) that directly corresponds to the hardware instructions of a specific computer architecture. It represents the fundamental set of instructions that a computer's central processing unit (CPU) can execute. Each binary instruction corresponds to a specific operation, such as arithmetic calculations or memory access. Machine language is tied to the hardware's instruction set and varies from one computer architecture to another. It's the only language the computer can directly understand and execute without translation.

Programming in low-level languages like Assembly presents several challenges. These include:

• Tediousness: Working with symbolic instructions and addressing memory locations directly can be time-consuming and error-prone.
• Hardware Dependency: Assembly instructions are specific to a particular hardware architecture, making portability difficult.
• Lack of Abstraction: Assembly language lacks the abstraction features of high-level languages, requiring programmers to manage more hardware details.
• Debugging Complexity: Debugging low-level code can be challenging due to limited debugging tools and the need to understand hardware intricacies.

Mnemonics are symbolic names or codes used to represent machine instructions in Assembly language programming. These names are easier for humans to remember and understand than raw binary code. Mnemonics provide a level of abstraction, allowing programmers to write code using English-like words instead of dealing with binary numbers. For example, instead of writing a binary instruction like "10110011," a programmer can use a mnemonic like "MOV" to indicate a move operation. This makes Assembly code more human-readable and helps programmers focus on logic rather than raw machine code.

High-level programming languages enhance programmer productivity in several ways:

• Abstraction: High-level languages abstract complex low-level operations, allowing programmers to focus on solving problems rather than hardware intricacies.
• Libraries: They provide built-in functions and libraries that streamline common tasks, saving time and effort.
• Readability: Their syntax is closer to natural language, making the code easier to read, write, and maintain.
• Portability: Code written in high-level languages is often more portable across different platforms since it's not tied to specific hardware instructions.