Define machine cycle and instruction cycle.

The steps performed by the computer processor for each machine language instruction received. The machine cycle is a 4 process cycle that includes reading and interpreting the machine language, executing the code and then storing that code.

Machine Cycle:

Four steps of Machine cycle:

(i) Fetch: Retrieve an instruction from the memory.

(ii) Decode: Translate the retrieved instruction into a series of computer commands.

(iii) Execute: Execute the computer commands.

(iv) Store: Send and write the results back in memory.

An instruction cycle, is a single operation that is either a clock cycle, or a machine cycle, needed to execute a machine language op-code and it’s parameters.

The sequence of operations that the cpu has to carry out while execution is called instruction cycle.

(i) Read an Instruction

(ii) Decode the instruction

(iii) Find the address of operand

(iv) Retrieve an operand

(v) Perform desired operation

(vi) Find the address of destination

(vii) Store the result into the destination