programming techniques

Question 1

IDE

Answer 1

software which allows the user to enter, edit, compile/interpret and run programs

Question 2

IDE - benefits

Answer 2

add line numbers
automatically indent
auto-complete commands
(un)comment regions
error reports

Question 3

IDEs debugging: breakpoint

Answer 3

set a breakpoint in the program which will cause it to stop at that line

Question 4

IDEs debugging: watch

Answer 4

set a watch on a variableso its value is outputted each time it’s changed

Question 5

IDEs debugging: step through

Answer 5

step through the program line by line

Question 6

IDEs debugging: tracing

Answer 6

trace the execution of a program

Question 7

algorithm

Answer 7

a sequence of instructions that can be followed to solve a problem

Question 8

pseudocode

Answer 8

a semi-english programming shorthand used to aid in algorithm design

Question 9

identifier

Answer 9

a name that points to a memory locatoin

Question 10

assignment

Answer 10

assigning a value to the memory location

Question 11

variable

Answer 11

a storage location who’s value can change during execution

Question 12

constant

Answer 12

a storage location who’s value can’t change during execution

Question 13

constants - benefits

Answer 13

reduce the risk of errors by reducing access to the memory location

Question 14

selection

Answer 14

controls which statements are run based on whether a condition is met

Question 15

IF

Answer 15

program flow is controlled by evaluating a boolean condition

Question 16

SWITCH/CASE

Answer 16

used to make it easier to code multiple condition checks

Question 17

interation

Answer 17

a sequence of instruction is repeated multiple times making the program more efficient

Question 18

WHILE

Answer 18

condition is tested upon entry of the loop, statements wont run if the condition is initially false

Question 19

DO UNTIL

Answer 19

condition is tested upon exit of the loop, statements will run once if the condition is initially false

Question 20

infinite loops - uses

Answer 20

2d games, gathering sensor data

Question 21

FOR

Answer 21

used to repeat a block of statements a specified number of times

Question 22

subroutine

Answer 22

a sequence of instructions that perform a specific task

Question 23

procedure

Answer 23

subroutine that doesn’t return a value

Question 24

function

Answer 24

subroutine that returns value(s)

Question 25

parameters

Answer 25

variable used in a subroutine to refer to one of the pieces of data provided as input to the subroutine

Question 26

arguments

Answer 26

value passed to the parameter

Question 27

passing by value

Answer 27

the value of the arguments in the calling statement is copied to the variable parameter

changes to parameters don’t affect corresponding arguments

Question 28

passing by reference

Answer 28

the address of the arguments is passed to the parameters

any changes to the parameters will affect corresponding arguments

Question 29

local variable

Answer 29

can only be accessed in the subroutine it’s defined in

Question 30

global variable

Answer 30

defined in the main program and can be accessed from anywhere

Question 31

local variable - advantages

Answer 31

subroutines can be independent and reused

no chance of accidental changes

Question 32

modular programming

Answer 32

breaking tasks into subtasks until each module performs a single function

Question 33

modular programming - advantages

Answer 33

programs are more easily and quickly written
large programs are broken down thus easier to manage
each module can be individually tested
modules can be reused
larger programs are easier to debug/maintain

Question 34

recursion (essential charactersistics)

Answer 34

stopping condition which must be reached after a finite number of calls (if not stack overflow will occur)

routine calls itself for input values outside of the stopping condition

Question 35

recursion (how)

Answer 35

each time a subroutine is called, the return address, parameters and local variables are pushed onto the stack

Question 36

call stack

Answer 36

every time a subroutine is called the return address is put on the call stack if this is done too many times the stack will overflow the max memory capacity

Question 37

class

Answer 37

a template for an object which defines its attributes and methods

Question 38

attributes

Answer 38

normally private, to ensue attributes can’t be changed without executing a method

Question 39

methoeds

Answer 39

generally public

Question 40

encapsulation

Answer 40

wraps the attributes and methods in the class definition, hiding details of the implementation from the user

Question 41

object

Answer 41

an instance of a class

Question 42

constructor

Answer 42

a method used to create a new object in a class

Question 43

instantiation

Answer 43

creating an instance of an object

Question 44

inheritance

Answer 44

ability to definite a child class which inherits the attributes and methods of a parent class

Question 45

polymorphism

Answer 45

the ability of a programming language to process objects differently depending on their class

Question 46

OOP advantages

Answer 46

code reuse, encapsulation, software maintenance

Question 47

code reuse (OOP)

Answer 47

classes created in one program can easily be saved in a library and reused in other programs –> faster development

Question 48

encapsulation reducing complexity (OOP)

Answer 48

once an object is created its not necessary to know how its methods are implemented

attributes can be hidden from the user preventing accidental changes

Question 49

software maintenance

Answer 49

object oriented programs are easier to modify and maintain

Question 50

instance method pseudocode

Answer 50

public procedure new(parameter)
atr = prameter
endprocedure