Levels of Architecture

Question 1

Level 0

Answer 1

Digital logic

Question 2

Level 1

Answer 2

Microarchitecture

Question 3

Level 2

Answer 3

Instruction sets

Question 4

Level 3

Answer 4

Operating system

Question 5

Level 4

Answer 5

Assembly language

Question 6

Level 5

Answer 6

High-level languages (Python, Java, etc.)

Question 7

Compiler

Answer 7

Translates high-level languages into machine code (i.e. binary)

Question 8

Before compiling, the user must first identify…

Answer 8

Instruction set architecture, operating system and programming language

Question 9

True or false: Compilers inform the user of all errors in the program

Answer 9

False! Compilers only inform users of the first error it finds.

Question 10

True or false: Compilers translate the whole program at the same time

Answer 10

True! This means that programs only need to be compiled once.

Question 11

Assembler

Answer 11

Translates assembly language into machine code

Question 12

Interpreter

Answer 12

Doesn’t translate programs into machine code, instead reads it line-by-line

Question 13

How do the levels of architecture work together to run a program?

Answer 13

5. Program is written in high-level language
6. Program is compiled and assembled
7. OS interprets program
8. OS uses instructions to translate program into machine code
9. Microarchitecture interprets machine code
10. Signals and logic gates are used to work with the hardware