Chapter One - Way of Program Flashcards
Intro Chapter on Python
High-level Language
A programming language (like Python) that is designed to be easy for humans to read and write
Low-level Language/Machine Language/Assembly Language
A programming language that is designed to be easy for computers to execute
Portability
A property of a program that can run on more than one kind of a computer
Interpret
To execute a program in a high-level language by translating it one line at a time
Compile
To translate a program written in a high-level language into a low level language all at once, in preparation for later execution
Source Code
A program written in a high-level language before being compiled
Object Code
The output of the compiler after it translates the program
Prompt
Characters displayed by the interpreter to indicate that it is ready to take input from the user
Script
A program stored in a file (usually one that will be interpreted)
Interactive Mode
A way of using the Python interpreter by typing commands and expressions at the prompt
Script Mode
A way of using the Python interpreter to read and execute statements in a script
Program
A set of instructions that specifies a computation
Algorithm
A general process for solving a category of problems
Bug
An error in a program
Debugging
The process of finding and removing any of the three kinds of programming errors
Syntax
The structure of a program
Syntax Error
An error in a program that makes it impossible to parse (thus impossible to interpret)
Exception
An error that is detected while the program is running
Semantics
The meaning of a program
Semantic Error
An error in a program that makes it do something other than what the programmer intended
Natural Language
Any one of the spoken languages that evolved naturally
Formal Language
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
Token
One of the basic elements of the syntactic structure of a program, analogous to a word in a natural language
Parse
To examine a program and analyze the syntactic structure
Print Statement
An instruction that causes the Python interpreter to display a value on the screen
