Data types

Question 1

What is an algorithm?

Answer 1

• An algorithm is a set of rules or a sequence of steps specifying how to solve a problem, independent of any programming language.

Question 2

What do all algorithms have?

Answer 2

• Input
• Processing
• Output

Question 3

What is an integer?

Answer 3

Positive or negative whole numbers

Question 4

What is a real/float?

Answer 4

Stores numbers with decimal places/values

Question 5

What is a character?

Answer 5

Letters, numbers and special characters typically represented in ASCII.

Question 6

What is a string?

Answer 6

• Stores alphanumeric combinations and texts, group of characters.

Question 7

What is a variable?

Answer 7

• Variable are identifiers given to memory locations whose contents will change during the course of the program.
• Variable is a storage location, identified by a memory address paired with an associated symbolic name ( Identifier ) which contains information referred to as the value.

Question 8

What is an identifier?

Answer 8

User defined name of the programming element.

Question 9

What is a constant?

Answer 9

• Constant is a value that cannot be altered by the program during normal execution, the value would therefore be constant.
• Variable is an identifier with a value that can be changed during normal execution, i.e. the value is variable

Question 10

What are the advantages of using constants?

Answer 10

• In a long, complex program there is no chance a programmer will accidentally change its value by using the identifier for a different purpose.
• It is far more efficient to change the value of a constant, as the programmer does not have to search through the program to find all the lines where the value was changed.