Computer Science › Section C · Data manipulation › Topic C.3
Program execution and the machine cycle
A CPU runs every program, from a calculator to a web browser, by repeating one short routine: fetch an instruction, decode it, carry it out. Tracing that routine by hand shows how two special registers keep a program on track.
In this topic
- Keeping your place in a program
- The machine cycle
- How a jump works
- Worked example: a straight-line program
- Worked example: a loop
- Programs versus data
- Why treating code as data is useful
- The clock
- Comparing processors
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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