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AP Computer Science A vocabulary

Terms in this set (80)

access specifier
public or private
argument
a value passed to a method
array
a static data type holding a homogeneous sequence of values
assign
give a value to a variable
bit
a binary digit, 0 or 1
boolean
true or false
byte
a set of 8 bits
call/invoke
executing a method
cast
convert a value to another type
class
a related set of fields and methods
comment
/, /* */, and /** */
compile
translate Java code into low-level bytecode
compile-time
taking place between pressing 'run' and execution
compound assignment
+=, -=, *=, /=, or %=
concatenate
combine, usually referring to combining strings
console
the prompt where output appears and input is entered
constructor
a special method automatically run when you create a new object
control structure
if, for, while, for-each
debug
identify and resolve errors
declare
allocate memory to a variable and identify its type
decrement
decrease by one
documentation/specification
comments or separate files indicating the function of a method or class
double
a rational value
driver class
the first class run, which contains the main method
error
a fatal program state, like OutOfMemoryError
escape sequence
special character combination; \n, \", \\
exception
a sometimes-fatal program state, like ArithmeticException
expression
a set of values and operators that evaluates to a single value
field
a variable representing a property of a class
final variable/constant
a variable defined with the 'final' keyword whose value is fixed
floating-point
a numeric value containing a decimal point
getter/accessor
a method that retrieves fields in a class
header
the first line of a class, method, or control structure; e.g., 'public int add2(int x)' or 'if (a || b)'
immutable
cannot be changed
import
allow for use of non-standard Java features
increment
increase by one
index
a specific position/slot in a string or array
infinite loop
a loop that will never terminate
initialize
declare and assign a value at once
input
values entered by the user
instance
an implementation of a class
instantiate
create a new instance
int
an integral value
iterate
cycle through each value in a sequence
keyword
a special Java term (usually stylized as bold in Eclipse); boolean, class, double, else, final, for, if, import, int, new, package, private, public, return, static, void, while
logic
using boolean values with &&, ||, and !
loop
a repeating control structure; for, while, for-each
main method
the starting point of the program; its signature is static main(String[])
memory
the set of all stored values and objects in a program
method
a named, independent block of code
mutable
can be changed
nesting
control structures inside of other control structures
null
a special value representing a missing value
object
a variable holding a non-primitive type
operator
arithmetic, comparison, logical, assignment
output
values displayed by the program
overload
making methods with the same name but different signatures
package
a related group of classes
parameter
a variable representing a method's input
postcondition
a set of statements that should be true after executing a method
precondition
a set of statements that can be assumed to be true prior to executing a method
primitive
int, double, and boolean
private
only accessible within its class
public
accessible from anywhere in the program
return
pass on a value to a parent method
runtime
taking place after the source has compiled
scope
the block in which a variable is defined
setter/mutator
a method that changes fields in a class
short-circuit evaluation
a method of evaluating boolean logic used by Java that allows coders to avoid exceptions
signature
a unique identifier held by all methods; includes its name and parameter types; e.g. main(String[])
source
the code in a program
statement
an individual instruction followed by a semicolon
string
a sequence of characters, wrapped in quotes
syntax
the organization of words and symbols in the source code
traverse
iterate through an array
truncate
remove the end of a number or string
type
the primitive type or class that defines a variable
variable
a name associated with a type and value
void
indicates a method returns no value
wrapper class
a class that "wraps" a primitive type; Integer, Double, and Boolean
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