Term | Definition |
coodinate | variable that specifies a location in a 2 dimensional graphical window |
traverse | to iterate through all the elements of a set performing a similar operation on each |
instance | an example from a category. Every object is an instance of some class |
awt | the Abstract Window Toolkit, one of the biggest and most commonly used packages in Java |
exception | a run-time error |
index | a variable or value used to select one of the members of an ordered set, like a character from a string |
object | collection of related data that comes with a set of methods that operate on it |
counter | a variable used to count something, usually initialized to zero and then incremented |
current object | the object on which an object method is invoked. Inside the method, the current object is referred to as this |
object method | a method that is involved on an object, and that operates on that object. Object methods do not have the keyword static |
pixel | unit in which coordinates are measured |
explicit | anything that is spelled out completely |
bounding box | a common way to specify the coordinates of a rectangular area |
package | a collection of classes |
implicit | anything that is left unsaid or implied |
class method | a method with the keyword static |
instance variable | a variable defined in a class for which each instantiated object of the class has a separate copy |
reference | a value that indicates an object |
aliasing | the condition when 2 or more variables refer to the same object |
garbage collection | the process of finding objects that have no references and reclaiming their storage space |
state | a complete description of all the variables and objects and their values at a given point during the execution of a program |
state diagram | a snapshot of the state of a program shown graphically |
throw | cause an exception |
stack trace | a report that shows the state of a program when an exception occurs |
prototype | the first line of a method |
increment | increase value by one |
decrement | decrease value by one |
body | statements inside the loop |
loop | a statement that executes repeatedly while some condition is satisfied |
infinite loop | loop whose condition is always true |
iteration | one pass through the loop |
encapsulate | to divide a large complex program into components and isolate components from each other |
local variable | variable that is declared inside a method and that only exists within that method |
generalize | to replace something unnecessarily specific with something appropriately general |
program development | a process to writing programs |
return type | the part of a method declaration that indicates what type of value the method returns |
return value | the value provided as the result of a method invocation |
dead code | part of code that can never be executed |
scaffolding | code that is used during program development but is not part of the final version |
void | a special return type that doesn't return a value |
overloading | having more than one method with the same name but different parameters |
boolean | a type of variable that can only return true or false |
flag | a variable that records a condition or status information |
conditional operator | an operator that compares two values and produces a boolean |
logical operator | an operator that combines boolean values and produces boolean values |
modulus | an operator that works on integers and yields the remainder when one number is divided by another |
chaining | a way of joining several conditional statements in sequence |
nesting | putting a conditional statement inside one or both branches of another conditional statement |
typecast | an operator that converts from one type to another |
recursion | the process of invoking the same method you are currently executing |
base case | a condition that causes a recursive method not to make a recursive call |
initialization | a statement that declares a new variable and assigns a value to it at the same time |
floating point | a type of variable that can contain fractions as well as variables |
class | a collection of methods |
method | a named sequence of statements that performs a useful function |
parameter | a piece of information in a method requires before you can run it |
argument | a value that you provide when you provide a method |
frame | a structure that contains a methods parameters and variables |
invoke | cause a method to execute |
variable | a named storage location for values |
value | a number or string that can be stored in a variable |
type | a set of values |
keyword | a reserved word used by the compiler to parse programs |
declaration | a statement that creates a new variable and determines its type |
assignment | a statement that assigns a value to a variable |
expression | a combination of variables, operators, and values |
operator | a symbol that represents a computation like addition, multiplication, or string concatenation |
operand | one of the values on which an operator operates |
precedence | the order in which the operands are evaluated |
concatenate | to join two operands end to end |
source code | a program in a high level language before being compiled |
object code | the output of the compiler |
byte code | special kind of code used for Java |
statement | a part of a program that specifies a computation |
library | a collection of class and method definitions |
bug | an error in the program |
syntax | the structure of a program |
semantics | the meaning of a program |