Chapter 1: The Way of the Program | Glossary

Question 1

activecode

Answer 1

A unique interpreter environment that allows Python to be executed from within a web browser.

Question 2

algorithm

Answer 2

A general step by step process for solving a problem.

Question 3

bug

Answer 3

An error in a program.

Question 4

byte code

Answer 4

An intermediate language between source code and object code. Many modern languages first compile source code into byte code and then interpret the byte code with a program called a virtual machine.

Question 5

codelens

Answer 5

An interactive environment that allows the user to control the step by step execution of a Python program

Question 6

comment

Answer 6

Information in a program that is meant for other programmers (or anyone reading the source code) and has no effect on the execution of the program.

Question 7

compile

Answer 7

To translate a program written in a high-level language into a low-level language all at once, in preparation for later execution.

Question 8

debugging

Answer 8

The process of finding and removing any of the three kinds of programming errors.

Question 9

exception

Answer 9

Another name for a runtime error.

Question 10

executable

Answer 10

Another name for object code that is ready to be executed.

Question 11

formal language

Answer 11

Any one of the languages that people have designed for specific purposes, such as representing mathematical ideas or computer programs; all programming languages are formal languages.

Question 12

high-level language

Answer 12

A programming language like Python that is designed to be easy for humans to read and write.

Question 13

interpret

Answer 13

To execute a program in a high-level language by translating it one line at a time.

Question 14

low-level language

Answer 14

A programming language that is designed to be easy for a computer to execute; also called machine language or assembly language.

Question 15

natural language

Answer 15

Any one of the languages that people speak that evolved naturally.

Question 16

object code

Answer 16

The output of the compiler after it translates the program.

Question 17

parse

Answer 17

To examine a program and analyze the syntactic structure.

Question 18

portability

Answer 18

A property of a program that can run on more than one kind of computer.

Question 19

print function

Answer 19

A function used in a program or script that causes the Python interpreter to display a value on its output device.

Question 20

problem solving

Answer 20

The process of formulating a problem, finding a solution, and expressing the solution.

Question 21

program

Answer 21

A sequence of instructions that specifies to a computer actions and computations to be performed.

Question 22

programming language

Answer 22

A formal notation for representing solutions.

Question 23

Python shell

Answer 23

An interactive user interface to the Python interpreter. The user of a Python shell types commands at the prompt (»>), and presses the return key to send these commands immediately to the interpreter for processing.

Question 24

runtime error

Answer 24

An error that does not occur until the program has started to execute but that prevents the program from continuing.

Question 25

semantic error

Answer 25

An error in a program that makes it do something other than what the programmer intended.

Question 26

semantics

Answer 26

The meaning of a program.

Question 27

shell mode

Answer 27

A style of using Python where we type expressions at the command prompt, and the results are shown immediately. Contrast with source code, and see the entry under Python shell.

Question 28

source code

Answer 28

A program, stored in a file, in a high-level language before being compiled or interpreted.

Question 29

syntax

Answer 29

The structure of a program.

Question 30

syntax error

Answer 30

An error in a program that makes it impossible to parse and therefore impossible to interpret.

Question 31

token

Answer 31

One of the basic elements of the syntactic structure of a program, analogous to a word in a natural language.