language levels

Question 1

describe the three reasons why programmers use high level languages

Answer 1

• uses code similar to a natural human language
• this makes it easier to understand and use the language
• using high-level languages leads to fewer errors
• allows for more powerful and complex commands compared to low level

Question 2

explain one limitation of using high-level language

Answer 2

language must be translated into machine code (binary) before it can be run as high level languages cannot be executed directly by the CPU

Question 3

describe a key difference between low-level languages and high-level languages

Answer 3

high level language uses code written in a way that is similar to a natural human language making it easier to understand and use

low-level languages do not closely resemble a natural human language making it harder for humans to understand and write in

Question 4

give examples of popular high level languages

Answer 4

python
c + +
java
visual basic

Question 5

describe low - level language

Answer 5

• does not closely resemble a natural human language
• this makes it harder for humans to understand and write in
• used when a program must be executed quickly or when programmers need to write code that interacts differently with the hardware, such as device drivers

Question 6

Machine code

Answer 6

• pur binary code that computers can directly process and execute
• extremely tedious and difficult for humans to understand and write machine code
• can be used to perform a very specific command
• executed faster than high level languages as it is already in a format the CPU can execute
• and does not need to be translated

Question 7

what are the two types of low-level language ?

Answer 7

machine code

assembly language

Question 8

Assembly language

Answer 8

• uses specialised command mnemonics to perform actions
• easier to understand and spot errors over machine code
• faster to execute than high-level languages
• can be used to directly control the CPU

Question 9

when are low-level languages used ?

Answer 9

when a program must be executed quickly

when programmers need to write code that interact directly with hardware, such as device drivers