What is the computer language executed within a computer's central processing unit?

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Prepare for the NCEES FE Other Disciplines Exam with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, each question has hints and explanations. Get ready to excel in your engineering career!

The correct choice is machine language because it refers to the set of binary instructions that a computer's central processing unit (CPU) understands and executes directly. Machine language is composed of sequences of bits (0s and 1s) that correspond to specific operations, such as arithmetic calculations, data manipulation, and control of peripheral devices. This language is hardware-specific, meaning that the binary instructions can differ between different types of CPUs, as each architecture has its own machine language.

Assembly language, while closely related to machine language, serves as a human-readable representation of the binary codes. It uses mnemonics to represent instructions and is translated into machine language by an assembler, but it is not the language executed directly by the CPU.

High-level languages, such as Python or Java, are designed to be easy for humans to read and write. They are abstracted further away from the hardware, as they are processed by compilers or interpreters to convert them into machine language before execution. Although they allow for more complex programming, they cannot be executed by the CPU without this translation step.

Scripting languages, similar to high-level languages, also require interpretation and are often used for automating tasks. They provide a way to script small programs but still rely on

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