Introduction To Python Flashcards
Input
A program receives data from a file, keyboard, touchscreen, etc.
Process
A program performs computations on that data.
Output
A program puts that data somewhere, such as a file, screen, or network.
What does a program consist of?
A list of instructions performed one at a time. Basic instructions are input, process and output.
Variables
Names that link to values stored in memory.
Computational thinking
Creating a sequence of instructions to solve a problem.
Algorithm
A sequence of instructions.
Interpreter
A program that interprets a script without compiling it before hand. Executing the script as it reads through.
Interactive interpreter
A program that allows users to execute one line of code at a time.
Code
Term for the text representation of a program.
Line
A row of text
Prompt
The ‘»>’. Indicates the interpreter is ready to accept code.
Statement
A program instruction.
Expression
Codes that return a value when evaluated. (x + y). Cannot have the = operator.
Assignment
Code where a variable receives a value.
Print()
Displays variables or expression values or string literals. Starts a new line.
Comments
Text that doesn’t affect the program. Begins with a hashtag (#).
\n
Forces a line break. (A new line)
Named the newline character. Can work even in a string literals.
Whitespace characters
Space, tab and newline
Input()
A function that takes text from the user. Default type is string, but can be changed by placing input in the functions int(), float(), etc.
Input prompt
Can be done by writing text in input(). Prints the string in between the parentheses where the user will type their text.
Syntax error
A violation of a programming language’s rules on how code is written.
Good coding practice
Run the code frequently to verify whether you’ve made errors to prevent having to search through your entire script.
Runtime error
The syntax is correct, but the program attempts an impossible operation.
Indentation error
The line of code are improperly indented.
Value error
An invalid value is used. Can occur when giving letters to int().
Name error
Occurs when trying to use a variable that doesn’t exist.
Type error
An operation uses incorrect types, such as an integer being added to a string.
IDE
Stands for integrated development environment. Refers to various editor programs that support various languages.
Processors
Circuits that execute a list of calculations, each called an instruction.
Memory
A circuit that stores 0s and 1s in thousands of addressed locations.
Machine instructions
Instructions represented as 0s and 1s. This is what the computer uses to execute commands.
Executable program
A sequence of machine instructions.
Assembly language
Translated from 0s and 1s by assemblers to make it more legible for humans. Translates high level language into low level machine instructions
High-level languages
Even closer to how humans think than assembly.
Compilers
Programs that automatically translate high-level language programs into executables.
Storage
Anything that can store binary values. Disks (hard drives) are the most common. They are non-volatile, maintaining their content even powered off.
RAM (Random Access Memory)
Volatile. Temporarily holds data read from storage. Faster than disks. ‘Random Access’ refers to it accessing any location quickly and arbitrarily. Usually located off the processor chip
Clock
Determines the rate instructions are executed at. 1MHz for cheap processors and 1GHz for costlier ones.
Transistors
Smaller switches.
Integrated circuits
A single chip that carries transistors. By 2012, ICs can carry several billion transistors.
Moore’s Law
Roughly every 18 months, the capacity of ICs will double.
Microprocessor
A single IC processor.
Operating system
Manages programs and interfaces with peripherals.
Is Python 3.0 backwards compatible?
No.
