Computer Science
In computer programming languages, the definitions of operator and operand are almost the same as in mathematics.
In computing, an operand is the part of a computer instruction which specifies what data is to be manipulated or operated on, whilst at the same time representing the data itself. A computer instruction describes an operation such as add or multiply X, while the operand (or operands, as there can be more than one) specify on which X to operate as well as the value of X.
Additionally, in assembly language, an operand is a value (an argument) on which the instruction, named by mnemonic, operates. The operand may be a processor register, a memory address, a literal constant, or a label. A simple example (in the x86 architecture) is
- MOV DS, AX
where the value in register operand 'AX' is to be moved into register 'DS'. Depending on the instruction, there may be zero, one, two, or more operands.
Read more about this topic: Operand
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