Basic Definitions IX Flashcards
aliases
Multiple variables that contain references to the same object.
clone
To create a new object that has the same value as an existing object. Copying a reference to an object creates an alias but doesn’t clone the object.
delimiter
A character or string used to indicate where a string should be split.
element
One of the values in a list (or other sequence). The bracket operator selects elements of a list.
index
An integer variable or value that indicates an element of a list.
list
A named collection of objects, where each object is identified by an index.
list traversal
The sequential accessing of each element in a list.
modifier
A function which changes its arguments inside the function body. Only mutable types can be changed by modifiers.
mutable type
A data type in which the elements can be modified. All mutable types are compound types. Lists are mutable data types; strings are not.
nested list
A list that is an element of another list.
object
A thing to which a variable can refer.
pure function
A function which has no side effects. Pure functions only make changes to the calling program through their return values.
sequence
Any of the data types that consist of an ordered set of elements, with each element identified by an index.
side effect
A change in the state of a program made by calling a function that is not a result of reading the return value from the function. Side effects can only be produced by modifiers.
step size
The interval between successive elements of a linear sequence. The third (and optional argument) to the range function is called the step size. If not specified, it defaults to 1.
