Programming languages can be split into two types: high-level and low-level languages

Some examples of high-level languages include Python, Java, Thunno, and Go.

The only low-level languages are assembly language and machine code.
Machine code is written in binary, and is the only form of code that a computer can understand.
Each instruction in assembly language represents one instruction of machine code.

Example 1 (Python), Example 2 (x86-64 assembly language), and Example 3 (x86-64 machine code) show exactly the same algorithm in different languages.

Example 1
a = int(input())
print(a * a)

Example 2
  mov al, 0
  mov bl, [num]
mult:
  add al, [num]
  dec bl
  jnz mult


Example 3
10110000 00000000 10001010 00011101 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000010 00000101 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 11111110 11001011 01110101 11110110

You do not need to be able to understand or explain the code in Examples 2 and 3.

Advantages of high-level languages:

• As seen in the examples above, high-level languages like Python are often much easier to read and understand than low-level languages like assembly language and machine code.
• The same code in a high-level language will work on any processor, whereas code in low-level languages is dependent on the processor type.
• Because each line of code in a high-level language can represent multiple instructions in machine code, high-level languages are usually easier and quicker to program in than low-level languages.

Advantages of low-level languages:

• Commands in machine code can be executed directly, without the need for a translator (2B.08).
• Low-level languages have more control over the hardware (e.g. you can control exactly how memory is used in the program).
• Very efficient code can be written for a particular type of processor, so programs in low-level languages generally execute faster and use less memory than programs in high-level languages.

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Why might a programmer prefer assembly language over machine code?

Assembly language resembles English more closely than machine code, and is therefore easier to program in.

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