C++ ch1 terms
a hierarchy chart
a diagram that graphically illustrates the structure of a program
variable
a named storage location
portability
a program's ability to run on several different types of computer systems
program
a set of instructions
algorithm
a set of well-defined steps for performing a task or solving a problem; steps are sequentially ordered
defined
a variable must be _______ before it can be used in a program
logical error
mistake that causes a program to produce erroneous results (i.e. using the wrong variable's value in a computation or performing order-dependent actions in the wrong order)
preprocessor
reads source code; searches for special lines that begin with the # symbol
punctuation
characters or symbols that mark the beginning or ending of a program statement or separate items in a list
operators
characters or symbols that perform operations on one or more operands
CPU, RAM, secondary storage, input device, output device
the five major hardware components of a computer system
machine language
the only language computers really process
syntax
the rules that must be followed when constructing a program
input, processing, and output
the three primary activities of a program
single-tasking and multi-tasking
the two general categories of software are
object file
translated machine language instructions stored by the compiler in this file
memory address
unique number assigned to each word
fetch
get the next program instruction from main memory
CU and ALU
internally, the CPU consists of
decode
interpret the instruction and generate a signal
high-level language
language close to the level of humans in terms of readability
low-level language
language close to the level of the computer
linker
last phase of the translation process; combines the object file with the necessary library routines to create the executable file
main memory
volatile - erased when the program terminates or the computer is turned off
programmer-defined identifiers
words or names defined by the programmer
key words
words that have special meaning in a programming language
CD
an example of a secondary storage device
programmable
computers can do many different jobs because they can be
integrated development environment
consists of a text editor, compiler, debugger, and other utilities integrated into a package with a single set of menus
executable file
contains machine language instructions that are ready to run on the computer
CPU
fetches instructions, carries out the operations commanded by the instructions, and produces some outcome or resultant information
syntax error
illegal use of key words, operators, punctuation, and other language elements
input
information a program gathers from the outside world
output
information a program sends to the outside world
secondary storage
non-volatile - data is retained when the program is not running or the computer is turned off; used as a backup
operating system software
programs that manage computer hardware and programs that run on the computer
application software
programs that provide services to the user
execute
route the signal to the appropriate component to perform an operation
machine language
since computers can't be programmed in natural human language algorithms must be written in
source file
statements written by the programmer saved in this file
compiler
steps through the preprocessed source code, translating each source code instruction into the appropriate machine language instruction