The Way of the Program

Question 1

problem solving

Answer 1

The process of formulating a problem, finding a solution, and expressing the solution

Question 2

high-level language

Answer 2

A programming language like Python that is designed to be easy for humans to read and write.

Question 3

low-level language

Answer 3

A programming language that is designed to be easy for a computer to execute; also called “machine language” or “assembly language.”

Question 4

portability

Answer 4

A property of a program that can run on more than one kind of computer.

Question 5

interpret

Answer 5

To execute a program in a high-level language by translating it one line at a time.

Question 6

compile

Answer 6

To translate a program written in a high-level language into a low-level language all at once, in preparation for later execution.

Question 7

source code

Answer 7

A program in a high-level language before being compiled.

Question 8

object code

Answer 8

The output of the compiler after it translates the program.

Question 9

executable

Answer 9

Another name for object code that is ready to be executed.

Question 10

script

Answer 10

A program stored in a file (usually one that will be interpreted).

Question 11

program

Answer 11

A set of instructions that specifies a computation.

Question 12

algorithm

Answer 12

A general process for solving a category of problems.

Question 13

bug

Answer 13

An error in a program.

Question 14

debugging

Answer 14

The process of finding and removing any of the three kinds of programming errors.

Question 15

syntax

Answer 15

The structure of a program.

Question 16

syntax error

Answer 16

An error in a program that makes it impossible to parse (and therefore impossible to interpret).

Question 17

runtime error

Answer 17

An error that does not occur until the program has started to execute but that prevents the program from continuing.

Question 18

exception

Answer 18

Another name for a runtime error.

Question 19

semantic error

Answer 19

An error in a program that makes it do something other than what the programmer intended.

Question 20

semantics

Answer 20

The meaning of a program.

Question 21

natural language

Answer 21

Any one of the languages that people speak that evolved naturally.

Question 22

formal language

Answer 22

Any one of the languages that people have designed for specific purposes, such as representing mathematical ideas or computer programs; all programming languages are formal languages.

Question 23

token

Answer 23

One of the basic elements of the syntactic structure of a program, analogous to a word in a natural language.

Question 24

parse

Answer 24

To examine a program and analyze the syntactic structure.

Question 25

print statement

Answer 25

An instruction that causes the Python interpreter to display a value on the screen.