An instruction cycle' (also called fetch-and-execute cycle,
fetch-decode-execute cycle, and FDX) is the time period during which a computer
processes a machine language instruction from its memory or the sequence of
actions that the central processing unit (CPU) performs to execute each machine
code instruction in a program.
The name fetch-and-execute cycle is commonly used. The instruction must be
fetched from
main memory, and then executed by the CPU. This is fundamentally how
a computer operates, with its CPU reading and executing a series of instructions
written in its machine language. From this arise all functions of a computer
familiar from the user's end.
How does a computer process instructions?
The term instruction cycle refers to the process in which a
computer executes a single instruction. The instruction
cycle is repeated each time the computer excites an
instruction. The steps in the cycle are summarized in the
picture.
){kind=link}
