imperative / any
Analogy
Collected by Matthias Hauswirth — Interview, Antonio Carzaniga
Makes explicit the difference between data and instructions, shows how little a single instruction really can achieve. Can be stretched to explain all kinds of concepts (although eventually becomes a bit of a stretch).
| PL | NM |
|---|---|
| processor | file clerk |
| instruction | action taken by file clerk (e.g., read info off a card) |
Data an instruction operates on, 'mechanistic' workings of instructions.
When introducing assembly programming (or low-level imperative programming), mostly at the beginning.
Requires an understanding of files / file clerks.
Antonio Carzaniga pointed out that Richard Feynman used this notional machine.
For a detailed discussion, see Matthias Hauswirth’s blog post on Richard Feynman’s Notional Machine, with a video of Feynman and a reference to Feynman’s lecture notes.
Do you have feedback on this notional machine? Did you find a mistake, or do you have a request for improvement? You can create an Issue on GitHub, where the description is hosted. This way we can see your feedback and address it.
For this, you need a GitHub account. Then follow this link to see the source file of this page. In there, click the ... left of the highlighted line, then pick "Reference in a new issue".
A notional machine is a pedagogic device to assist the understanding of some aspect of programs or programming.
