Computing Fundamentals (Programming Logic and Design) 1

How Program Works

Module 2 Week 2 How Program Works

Course Learning Outcomes:

1. To give a concise and easy explanation on computers how they
work.
2. To learn the storing and manipulation of data.

How Program Works

Previously, we learned that the Central Processing Unit is the most vital
component in a computer system because it is where the program runs.
Occasionally the Central Processing Unit is also known as the “computer’s
brain,” and labeled as “smart.” We should always remember that the usual
descriptions like a central processing unit is not a brain and not smart. CPU is
part of the system unit and was made do exact operations, precisely, it was
created to do things like:

● Number computation
● Placing a data from a memory to one more location.
● Interpretation of a piece of data from the key memory
● Defining if the value is equal to one the other value.

It achieves modest operations on pieces of data from the list that the
CPU can do. On its own, it doesn’t do anything. The purpose of it is it needed
be told what to do. The cause that the CPU is functioning in operations is
because of the program, in which it is list of command and instructions. Every
instruction in the computer program is a command in which it connects and
communicates in the CPU to do or perform a task. This is an example of
instruction in a computer program, 111001011, in a CPU’s interpretation it is
a series of 1s and 0s. Though, this series will tell the computer what to do.

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 It is written in 1s and 0s because the CPU can only understand a set of
instruction in a machine language and it is always in binary form.
A procedure that is also called the fetch-decode-execute cycle is
involved when the CPU does an instruction in a computer program. This cycle
covers of three essential steps that is repeated in every instruction in the
program:
1. Fetch –Fetch is the primary step in the cycle and it delivers
the following instruction needed in a memory to the Central
processing unit.
2. Decode – In this second part of the cycle, a binary language
instruction that implies an action that communicates to the CPU
to execute a command. The delivered instruction will translate
by the central processing unit from the memory. And it controls
what command will be executed.
3. Execute - The final cycle is to perform or execute the given
task.

Figure 1
Computing Fundamentals (Programming Logic and Design) 3

How Program Works

Machine Language to Assembly Language

Computer devises can only do and perform programs that is in machine
language. It would also be very hard in programming in machine language
because placing a 1 or a 0 in incorrect sequence will lead to mistake. Assembly
Language was made as an alternative to machine language because it is
unreasonable and tough for the users to write their programs in binary or
machine language. As a substitute to the binary in the assembly language, it
uses short words that is identified as mnemonics. Example of mnemonics is
mul means to multiply numbers. Programmers nowadays uses assembly
language to create their program, instead of writing binary numbers he c use
short mnemonics.

High-Level Languages
As innovation enters the generation of computer programming
languages, the high-level languages began to give the impression in the early
1950s. Without studying how does the central processing unit works, these
high-level languages let us to create useful programs in a low-level instruction
without writing a large number. Mostly these languages have a set of words
that are easy to understand for designing a program.

Programming languages examples:

Ada - Mainly it was use for applications used by the Department of Defense in
the United States in the early 1970s. Name after the Countess Ada Lovelace, a
dominant and historical person in the computer field.
BASIC -Short for Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. Generally
purpose of this language that was initially created to be modest enough to
learn it easily for beginners in 1960s. Nowadays, different versions of BASIC
had come up.
FORTRAN -Short for Formula Translator. It is the very first high-level
programming language in the history. It is created in the early 1950s use for
carrying out calculations that is complex mathematically.

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COBOL - Common Business-Oriented Language. It was created for the use of
commercially related applications in the 1950s.
Pascal – It was made for training computer programming in the 1970s. It was
named after Blaise Pascal.
C and C++ pronounced as “c plus plus” – The powerful C language was designed
at Bell Laboratories in 1972 while C++ was designed in early 1980s.
C# pronounced as “c sharp.” – Its purpose is for creating and developing
applications based on the Microsoft .NET platform in the year 2000.
Java – In 1990s, Sun Microsystems created Java. It was made for program
development that runs in one computer or over from the Web Server to the
Internet.
JavaScript™ - It is used in Web pages in 1990s. Always remember that
JavaScript and Java are not correlated.
Python – It become famous for enterprises and commercially applications use.
It was created in 1990s.
Ruby – Ruby was progressively popular language for applications running in
the Web servers. It was designed in the early 1990s.
Visual Basic – Also known as VB and it is under the Microsoft software
development environment created in the early 1990s. It allows users to create
Windows®-based applications fast.
Respectively, every high-level language was made with personal set of
words that the user should study in able to run the language. The set of words
called key words or reserved words. Each of it has a precise denotation and
cannot be used for any other purpose.
Computing Fundamentals (Programming Logic and Design) 5

How Program Works

References and Supplementary Materials

Books and Journals
1. Tony Gaddis (2013) Programming Logic and Design; Haywood
Community College

Online Supplementary Reading Materials

1. How Does a Computer Program Work?

https://safebytes.com/computer-program-work/ April 2020

Course Module