What is an instruction in computing terms?

An instruction in computing refers to a single operation executed by the processor. This encompasses the fundamental building blocks of a program, where each instruction tells the computer's CPU what to do next. Instructions can vary in complexity, but at their core, they represent discrete actions such as arithmetic calculations, data movement, or control operations.

For instance, an instruction could tell the CPU to add two numbers, store a value in memory, or jump to a different part of the program based on certain conditions. Understanding this concept is vital for grasping how software is executed on hardware, making it clear why this is the correct answer.

The other options, while related to programming and computing, do not capture the essence of what an instruction is in the context of how processors operate. A line of code describes a higher-level representation of commands written by a programmer, specific tasks performed by the operating system refer more to system-level functions rather than individual instructions, and user input commands are considered external requests that the system interprets but do not represent the lower-level instruction executed by the processor itself.