2.1: Computer Hardware Operations
Read this article to see how a program is edited, compiled (or assembled), linked, and executed in the computer.
Read this article, which discusses how a MIPS assembly language statement is assembled into machine code. Carefully study the example in the article.
Read this article about how a computer actually executes the machine code produced by the compiler (assembler). Registers are simply small memory units that are usually 8, 16, 32, or more bits long. The program counter and instruction register are used in the machine cycle.