MIPS Terminology for Larger Groupings of Bits
Often several bytes in a row (contiguous bytes)
are used,
so there is terminology for how many bytes are used.
Each manufacturer has their own idea of what to call groupings larger
than a byte.
The following is valid only for discussing the VAX line of computers.
- byte -------- eight bits.
- word -------- four bytes, 32 bits.
- double word ---- eight bytes, 64 bits.
A block of contiguous memory is referred to by the
address of its first byte (ie. the byte with the lowest address.)
Most MIPS instructions involve a fixed number
of bytes
(for example, )
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