How do assembly language and machine code relate?

Assembly language is a low-level programming language that corresponds directly to the machine code used by a specific computer architecture.

Assembly language is a more human-readable version of machine code. It uses symbolic representations of machine code instructions, which are translated into binary code by an assembler. Each assembly language is specific to a particular computer architecture, as it corresponds directly to the machine code used by that architecture. Machine code, on the other hand, is the lowest level of programming language, consisting of binary or hexadecimal instructions that can be directly executed by the computer's central processing unit (CPU).

The relationship between assembly language and machine code is a close one. Assembly language is essentially a symbolic representation of machine code, designed to be more easily understood and manipulated by humans. Each instruction in assembly language corresponds to a specific instruction in machine code. For example, an assembly language instruction might tell the computer to 'load' a value into a register, while the corresponding machine code instruction would be a specific binary or hexadecimal value that the computer's CPU recognises as the 'load' command.

The process of translating assembly language into machine code is carried out by a program called an assembler. The assembler takes each assembly language instruction and converts it into the corresponding machine code instruction. This process is known as 'assembling' the code. The resulting machine code can then be executed directly by the computer's CPU.

In summary, assembly language and machine code are two different representations of the same thing: the instructions that tell a computer what to do. Assembly language is a symbolic, human-readable version of these instructions, while machine code is the binary or hexadecimal version that can be directly executed by the computer's CPU. The process of converting assembly language into machine code is carried out by an assembler.