Python Glossary & Terms Flashcards

Beginner Python - Establishing Key Programming Terms (62 cards)

1
Q

problem solving

A

The process of formulating a problem, finding a solution, and expressing it.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

high-level language

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

low-level language

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

portability

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

interpreter

A

A program that reads another program and executes it

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

prompt

A

Characters displayed by the interpreter to indicate that it is ready to take input from the user.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

program

A

A set of instructions that specifies a computation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

print statement

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

operator

A

A special symbol that represents a simple computation like addition, multiplication, or string concatenation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

value

A

One of the basic units of data, like a number or string, that a program manipulates.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

type

A

A category of values. The types we have seen so far are integers (type int), floating-point numbers (type float), and strings (type str).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

integer

A

A type that represents whole numbers.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

floating-point:

A

A type that represents numbers with fractional parts.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

string

A

A type that represents sequences of characters.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

natural language:

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

formal language

A

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.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

token

A

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

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

syntax

A

The rules that govern the structure of a program

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

parse

A

To examine a program and analyze the syntactic structure.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

bug

A

An error in a program

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

debugging

A

The process of finding and correcting bugs.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

variable

A

A name that refers to a value

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

assignment

A

A statement that assigns a value to a variable.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

state diagram

A

A graphical representation of a set of variables and the values they refer to.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
keyword
A reserved word that is used to parse a program; you cannot use keywords like if, def, and while as variable names.
26
operand
One of the values on which an operator operates.
27
expression
A combination of variables, operators, and values that represents a single result.
28
evaluate
To simplify an expression by performing the operations in order to yield a single value.
29
statement
A section of code that represents a command or action. So far, the statements we have seen are assignments and print statements.
30
execute
To run a statement and do what it says.
31
interactive mode:
A way of using the Python interpreter by typing code at the prompt.
32
script mode:
A way of using the Python interpreter to read code from a script and run it.
33
script
A program stored in a file.
34
order of operations:
Rules governing the order in which expressions involving multiple operators and operands are evaluated.
35
concatenate
To join two operands end-to-end.
36
comment
Information in a program that is meant for other programmers (or anyone reading the source code) and has no effect on the execution of the program.
37
syntax error:
An error in a program that makes it impossible to parse (and therefore impossible to interpret).
38
exception
An error that is detected while the program is running.
39
semantics
The meaning of a program.
40
semantic error:
An error in a program that makes it do something other than what the programmer intended
41
function
A named sequence of statements that performs some useful operation. Functions may or may not take arguments and may or may not produce a result.
42
function definition:
A statement that creates a new function, specifying its name, parameters, and the statements it contains.
43
function object:
A value created by a function definition. The name of the function is a variable that refers to a function object.
44
header:
The first line of a function definition.
45
body
The sequence of statements inside a function definition
46
parameter
A name used inside a function to refer to the value passed as an argument.
47
function call:
A statement that runs a function. It consists of the function name followed by an argument list in parentheses.
48
argument
A value provided to a function when the function is called. This value is assigned to the corresponding parameter in the function
49
local variable:
A variable defined inside a function. A local variable can only be used inside its function.
50
return value:
The result of a function. If a function call is used as an expression, the return value is the value of the expression.
51
fruitful function:
A function that returns a value.
52
void function:
A function that always returns None.
53
None:
A special value returned by void functions.
54
module
A file that contains a collection of related functions and other definitions.
55
import statement:
A statement that reads a module file and creates a module object.
56
module object:
A value created by an import statement that provides access to the values defined in a module.
57
dot notation:
The syntax for calling a function in another module by specifying the module name followed by a dot (period) and the function name.
58
composition
Using an expression as part of a larger expression, or a statement as part of a larger statement.
59
flow of execution:
The order statements run in.
60
stack diagram:
A graphical representation of a stack of functions, their variables, and the values they refer to.
61
frame
A box in a stack diagram that represents a function call. It contains the local variables and parameters of the function.
62
traceback
A list of the functions that are executing, printed when an exception occurs.