What is a programming language?

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Revision as of 09:30, 5 October 2016 by Mr. MacKenty (talk | contribs)
Programming basics[1]

A programming language is a formal computer language or constructed language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. Programming languages can be used to create programs to control the behavior of a machine or to express algorithms.[2]

  • ADD
  • COMPARE
  • RETRIEVE
  • STORE

Complex capabilities are composed of very large numbers of very simple operations.

If we ask a simple question: what is the biggest item on this list, we might code it like this:

list_of_numbers = [12,1,54,8,19,4,13,21,12,89,-1,6]
for


An example[edit]

Below is an example of an automatic piano. The piano is "fed" instructions which enable it to play a simple song. The song is an example of a program. It is instructions designed to

Standards[edit]

  • State the fundamental operations of a computer.
  • Distinguish between fundamental and compound operations of a computer.
  • Explain the essential features of a computer language.
  • Explain the need for higher level languages.
  • Outline the need for a translation process from a higher level language to machine executable code.

References[edit]