Explain the difference between Assembly Language and machine code.

Assembly language and machine code are both low-level programming languages used to write instructions for a computer. However, there are some key differences between the two:

1. Human Readability: Assembly language is a more human-readable form of programming language compared to machine code. Assembly language uses mnemonic codes and symbols that are easier for programmers to understand and remember. On the other hand, machine code is a binary representation of instructions that can only be understood by the computer's hardware.

2. Abstraction Level: Assembly language provides a level of abstraction above machine code. It uses mnemonic codes and symbols to represent individual machine instructions, making it easier for programmers to write and understand code. Machine code, on the other hand, directly represents the binary instructions that the computer's hardware can execute.

3. Portability: Assembly language is specific to a particular computer architecture or processor. Each processor has its own assembly language, and code written for one processor may not work on another. Machine code, on the other hand, is specific to the exact hardware and can only be executed on that specific machine.

4. Translation: Assembly language code needs to be translated into machine code before it can be executed by the computer. This translation is done by an assembler, which converts the mnemonic codes and symbols into the corresponding machine code instructions. Machine code, on the other hand, is already in a format that can be directly executed by the computer's hardware.

5. Flexibility: Assembly language provides more flexibility and control to the programmer compared to machine code. Programmers can use labels, variables, and macros to make their code more modular and reusable. Machine code, being a direct representation of hardware instructions, does not provide such high-level constructs.

In summary, assembly language is a more human-readable and abstracted form of programming language that needs to be translated into machine code before execution. Machine code, on the other hand, is the binary representation of instructions that can be directly executed by the computer's hardware.