operatsioonikoode

Operatsioonikoode, also known as operation codes or opcodes, are fundamental components of machine language instructions. They are binary patterns that represent the specific operation a computer's central processing unit (CPU) should perform. Think of them as the verbs in a computer's command language.

When a program is compiled or assembled, high-level instructions are translated into a sequence of these machine code instructions. Each instruction typically consists of an opcode and one or more operands. The opcode tells the CPU what action to take, such as adding two numbers, moving data between memory and registers, or branching to a different part of the program. The operands specify the data or memory locations that the operation should act upon.

The set of opcodes for a particular CPU architecture is defined by its instruction set architecture (ISA). Different processors, like those from Intel, AMD, or ARM, have distinct ISAs and therefore different opcodes. This means that machine code written for one architecture will not run on another without translation or emulation. Understanding opcodes is crucial for low-level programming, compiler design, and computer architecture analysis. They represent the most basic level of control over a computer's hardware.