Ch 8 · Assembly Language & Addressing Modes · Theory

Topic 8 of 10 in Computer Architecture — Inside the CPU — 4 lessons.

Talking to the CPU Directly

Below the high-level languages sits assembly language: human-readable mnemonics that map almost one-to-one onto the machine-code instructions the CPU runs. Each instruction is an opcode (what to do) plus an operand (what to do it to).

Addressing Modes

The same opcode can find its data in different ways — the addressing mode. The four you must know:

Running Assembly by Hand

This models a CPU with an accumulator running direct-addressed instructions against a small memory — the same idea a "trace table" question tests.

Check the Mode

All topics in Theory Computer-architecture

1. The Von Neumann Model
2. Inside the CPU
3. Registers
4. The Fetch–Decode–Execute Cycle
5. Buses
6. The Memory Hierarchy
7. What Makes a CPU Fast
8. Assembly Language & Addressing Modes
9. Virtual Machines & Parallel Processing (A Level)
10. Check Your Understanding