Programming Terminology

A list of instructions or rules designed to complete tasks or solve specific problems.

• Argument

• Boolean

• Algorithm

• Program

A computer program is a specific set of ordered instructions, coded in a programming language, to direct a computer to process input, manipulate data, and create output.

• Algorithm

• Bug

• Argument

• Program

A value that is passed into a command or a function. For example, the argument "Hello World!" can be passed to the "console.log('Hello World!');" command, which prints "Hello World!" to the console.

• Algorithm

• Argument

• Program

• Boolean

A data type that stores one of only two values, "True" or "False". Boolean data types are useful to test if a condition is true or false.

• Compiled languages

• Boolean

• Coding

• Interpreted languages

An error or defect in a software program which causes the program to not run properly.

• Debugging

• Argument

• Algorithm

• Bug

The process of finding and fixing errors in a computer program.

• Constants

• Coding

• Algorithm

• Debugging

The skill of translating ideas into instructions in a programming language that a computer can understand and execute.

• Syntax

• Coding

• Functions

• Array

Languages like C and C++ must be translated by a tool called a compiler before a computer can run them. A compiler translates the source code into a binary executable stored in an .exe file.

• Programming languages

• Interpreted languages

• Compiled languages

• Syntax

Languages like Python, JavaScript, or Ruby are developed to be platform-independent. During program run time an interpreter reads each line of code and executes it.

• Interpreted languages

• Boolean

• Programming languages

• Compiled languages

A defined value in a program that should not be changed as a program runs. Constants are useful to programmers because they make programs more readable and easier to debug. For example, when calculating the area of a circle, a programmer could create a constant for the value of PI instead of typing 3.14159265358973 into the program wherever the value of PI is used.

• Array

• Constants

• Variable

• Loop