Speaking to Computers
Part of High & Low Level Languages — GCSE Computer Science
This introduction covers Speaking to Computers within High & Low Level Languages for GCSE Computer Science. Revise High & Low Level Languages in Languages & IDEs for GCSE Computer Science with 15 exam-style questions and 8 flashcards. This topic appears regularly enough that it should still be part of a steady revision cycle. It is section 2 of 8 in this topic. Use this introduction to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 2 of 8
Practice
15 questions
Recall
8 flashcards
Speaking to Computers
Computers only understand machine code - pure binary (1s and 0s). But humans can't easily read or write binary! High-level languages like Python are like speaking English - easy for us but need translating. Low-level languages like Assembly are closer to machine code - harder for us but faster for computers. It's a trade-off: programmer convenience vs computer efficiency.