CSA Activity 1.2.1 & 1.2.2

actual parameter

value that is passed into a constructor or method.

object reference

variables hold a memory address that refers to a specific object, for example, a String object or an object instantiated from a user-defined class.

package

A collection of modules.

constructor

A method for creating an object in a class.

object-oriented programming

A paradigm for programming in which code describes a class with methods, including a method for creating an object in the class.

instance of a class

A single object of a particular class.

object

A specific instance of a class with defined attributes. They are able to execute any methods defined in its class.

overloading

Constructors and methods are said to be maxed out when there are multiple definitions with the same name but different signatures.

signatures

In Java, a signature defines a constructor or a method. It consists of a name and a list of parameters.

class

The formal implementation, or blueprint, of the attributes and behaviors of an object. It is an abstraction defining a type of object, with methods (instructions that can be executed) and attributes (variables to store data).

instantiate

The process of creating an object, an instance of a class; creates space in memory for the new object and binds a name for the object with the object's data in memory.

instantiating

The process of creating an object, an instance of a class; creates space in memory for the new object and binds a name for the object with the object's data in memory.

call by value

When constructors or methods are called, this initializes formal parameters with copies of the actual parameters.

header

describes a constructor or a method and defines how it is used. It consists of its access level (usually public or private) and its signature (name and parameter list).

formal paremeters

list of variables passed to a constructor or method and used in its implementation.