Chapter 1 Flashcards
Memorize terms
Machine Language
Is a set of primitive instructions built into every computer. The instructions are in the form of binary code, so you have to enter binary codes for various instructions.
Assembly Language
A low-level programming language in which a mnemonic is used to represent each of the machine language instructions
Assembler
A program that translates assembly-language programs into machine code.
High-level languages
Same as high-level programming language. (Ex. Ada, BASIC, C, C++, C#, COBOL, FORTRAN, Java, JavaScript, Pascal, Python, Visual Basic.)
Statement
A unit of code that represents an action or a sequence of actions.
Source Program/Source Code
A program written in a programming language such as Java.
Interpreter
Software for interpreting and running bytecode.
Compiler
A software program that translates source code (e.g. Java source code) into a machine language program.
Operating System
(OS) A program that manages and controls a computer’s activities (e.g., Windows, Linux, Solaris).
Programming
Is the process for writing a program
Software
The invisible instructions that control the hardware and make it work.
Hardware
The physical aspect of the computer that can be seen.
Motherboard
Is a circuit case that connects all the parts of a computer together.
Central Processing Unit
(CPU) A small silicon semiconductor chip with millions of transistors that executes instructions.
Clock Speed
The internal clock of a computer that emits electronic pulses at a constant rate. These pulses are used to control and synchronize the pace of operations. Measured in Hz
Bit
A binary digit 0 or 1.
Byte
A unit of storage. Each byte consists of 8 bits. The size of the hard disk and memory is measured in bytes.
Megabyte
A million bytes
Encoding scheme
A set of rules that govern how a computer translates characters into data the computer can actually work with.
Memory
Stores data and program instructions for CPU to execute.
Random-Access Memory
(RAM) Memory that can be accessed in any order. Goes away when there is now power. Pulls from storage.
Storage Devices
The permanent storage for data and programs. memory is volatile, because information is lost when the power is off. Program and data are stored on secondary storage and moved to memory when the computer actually uses them.
Drives
Devices for operating a medium. Such as disks and CDs.
Screen resolution
Specifies the number of pixels per square inch. The higher the resolutions, the sharper and clearer the image is.
Dot pitch
The amount of space between pixels. The smaller the dot pitch, the better the display.
Dial-up Modem
A regular modem uses a phone line and can transfer data in a speed up to 56,000 bps (bits per second).
Digital Subscriber Line
(DSL) Uses a phone line and can transfer data at a speed 1,120,000 bps
Cable Modem
Uses the TV cable line maintained by the cable company. A Cable modem can transfer data at a speed of 1,120,000 bps.
Network Interface Card
(NIC) A device to connect a computer to a local area network (LAN). The LAN is commonly used in business, universities, and government organizations. A typical type of NIC, called 10BaseT, can transfer data at 10 Mbps.
Java language Specification
Is the technical definition of the Java Programming language’s syntax and semantics
Application Program Interface/Library
(API) A set of classes and interfaces that can be used to develop Java programs.
Java Development Toolkit
(JDK) Defines the Java API and contains a set of command-line utilities, such as javac (Compiler) and java (interpreter). With Java 2, Sun renamed JDK 1.5 to Java 2 SDK v. 1.5. SDK stands for Software Development Toolkit.
Integrated Development Environment
(IDE) Software that helps programmers write code efficiently. IDE tools integrate editing, compiling, building, debugging, and online help in one graphical user interface.
Main Method
Is the starting method for executing a program
Statement terminator
The semicolon is the statement terminator symbol in Java.
Keyword/Reserved word
A word defined as part of Java Language, which has a specific meaning to the compiler and cannot be used for other purposes in the program.
Comment
Comments document what a program is and how it is constructed. They are not programming statements and are ignored by the compiler. In Java, comments are preceded by two slashes (//) in a line or enclosed between /* and */ in multiple lines.
Line comment
Comments preceded by two slashes (//).
Block Comment
Enclosed between /* and */ on one or several lines in the source code.
Bytecode
The result of compiling Java source code. Bytecode is machine-independent and can run on any machine that has a Java running environment.
Java Virtual Machine
(JVM) A machine that runs Java bytecode. It is called virtual because it is usually implemented in software rather than in hardware.
javac Command
The command to invoke the compiler to compile a Java source code program from the command line.
java Command
The command to invoke the interpreter to run a Java program from the command line.
Syntax Error
Are errors that are reported by the compiler.
Runtime Error
Are errors that cause a program to terminate abnormally.
Logic Errors
Occurs when a program does not perform the way it was intended to.
