machine code

Instructions that the central processing unit (CPU) of a computer can execute directly, without the need for translation. Machine-code statements are written in a binary-coded (low-level) computer language. Programmers usually write computer programs in a high-level language (such as FORTRAN or C), which a compiler program then translates into machine code for execution.

Related category

• COMPUTERS, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, AND CYBERNETICS

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