title: Difference between machine language, binary code and a binary file
body: <p>I'm studying programming and in many sources I see the concepts: "machine language", "binary code" and "binary file". The distinction between these three is unclear to me, because according to my understanding machine language means the raw language that a computer can understand i.e. sequences of 0s and 1s. </p>
  
  <p>Now if machine language is a sequence of 0s and 1s and binary code is also a sequence of 0s and 1s then does <strong>machine language = binary code</strong>?</p>
  
  <p>What about binary file? What really is a binary file? To me the word "binary file" means a file, which consists of binary code. So for example, if my file was:</p>
  
  <pre><code>010010101010010
  010010100110100
  010101100111010
  010101010101011
  010101010100101
  010101010010111
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Would this be a binary file? If I google binary file and see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binary_file" rel="noreferrer">Wikipedia</a> I see this example picture of binary file which confuses me (it's not in binary?....)</p>
  
  <p><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/686wZ.png" alt="Hex image"></p>
  
  <p>Where is my confusion happening? Am I mixing file encoding here or what? If I were to ask one to SHOW me what is machine language, binary code and binary file, what would they be? =) I guess the distinction is too abstract to me.</p>
  
  <p>Thnx for any help! =)</p>
  
  <p><strong>UPDATE</strong>: </p>
  
  <p>In Python for example, there is one phrase in a file I/O <a href="http://www.tutorialspoint.com/python/python_files_io.htm" rel="noreferrer">tutorial</a>, which I don't understand: <strong>Opens a file for reading only in binary format.</strong> What does reading a file in binary format mean?</p>