Question

A CPU understands instructions that are written only in what language?

Short answer

Answer: A CPU understands and processes instructions in machine language, which is a binary code consisting of 1s and 0s.

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The CPU, or Central Processing Unit, is the primary component within a computer that carries out instructions of a computer program. CPUs interpret and execute instructions provided by the computer's hardware and software.

Determine the language used by CPUs

CPUs can only understand instructions that are written in a specific language called "machine language." Machine language consists of binary code, which is a series of 1s and 0s. Each combination of 1s and 0s represents an instruction that the CPU can execute.

Understand machine language

Machine language is the lowest level of programming language. It is composed of individual instructions that the CPU can execute directly. Each instruction in machine language corresponds to a specific operation that the CPU performs, such as arithmetic, logical operations, or data manipulation. In summary, a CPU can understand and execute instructions only in machine language, which is a binary code consisting of 1s and 0s.