Intro Programming Flashcards
What is a computer program?
Computer programs, known as software, are the invisible instructions that control the hardware and make it perform tasks.
Computer programming is…
…the writing of instructions (i.e., code) for computers to perform
What is CPU?
The central processing unit (CPU) is a computer’s brain. It retrieves instructions from memory and executes them.
Computers use ____ and ____ because digital devices have two _____ electrical states, ___ and ___, referred to by convention as ____ and ____.
Computers use zeros and ones because digital devices have two stable electrical states, off and on, referred to by convention as zero and one.
A bit is a…
…binary digit 0 or 1
A byte is a…
…sequence of 8 bits
A kilobyte is about _____ bytes, a megabyte about _____ bytes, a gigabyte about _____ bytes, and a terabyte about _____ gigabytes.
A kilobyte is about 1,000 bytes, a megabyte about 1 million bytes, a gigabyte about 1 billion bytes, and a terabyte about 1,000 gigabytes.
What does the memory in a computer do?
Memory stores data and program instructions for the CPU to execute.
Memory is _____ because information that hasn’t been saved is _____ when the power is turned off.
Memory is volatile because information that hasn’t been saved is lost when the power is turned off.
What is machine language?
The machine language is a set of primitive instructions built into every computer.
What is assembly language?
Assembly language is a low-level programming language in which a mnemonic is used to represent each machine-language instruction.
High-level languages are _______ and easy to learn and program.
High-level languages are English-like and easy to learn and program.
A program written in a high-level language is called _______.
source code
What is a compiler?
A compiler is a software program that translates the source program into a machine-language program.
What is the operating system (OS)?
The operating system (OS) is a program that manages and controls a computer’s activities.
Python is _______, meaning that Python translates each statement and processes it ________.
interpreted, one at a time
Python source programs are ________.
case sensitive.
Programming errors can be categorized into three types: _____, ______, and ______.
syntax errors, runtime errors, and logic errors.
Syntax and runtime errors cause a program to _______. Logic errors occur when a program _________.
Syntax and runtime errors cause a program to terminate abnormally. Logic errors occur when a program does not perform the way it was intended to.
Name the 6 main phases of the software development cycle.
1 - Planning 2 - Analysis 3 - Design 4 - Implementation (programming) 5 - Testing and integration 6 - Maintenance
What is DevOps?
Development and Operations. First you develop, then you maintain and operate. It aims to shorten the systems development life cycle and provide continuous delivery with high software quality.
Is programming more than coding?
Yes. Programming includes planning, testing, debugging and improving code.
Describe the program development cycle.
1 - Design 2 - Code 3 - Correct syntax errors 4 - Testing 5 - Correct logic errors
Pseudocode is
a plain language description of the steps in an algorithm/code. Often uses structural conventions of a normal programming language, but is intended for human reading rather than machine reading
