Machine Instruction

Definitions

1. A single binary-encoded operation that a CPU can execute directly, consisting of an opcode and zero or more operands. Each instruction set architecture (x86, ARM, RISC-V) defines its own repertoire of machine instructions for arithmetic, memory access, branching, and I/O.

   In plain English: The most basic command a computer's processor understands, like 'add these two numbers' or 'load this from memory.'

   Example: "That one line of C compiles down to six machine instructions — three loads, a multiply, an add, and a store."

Related Terms

• Mnemonic
• Opcode
• L1 Cache
• L2 Cache
• Memory Alignment
• Performance Counter
• Program Counter
• RISC-V
• Spectre
• X86