Python test 1 study guide

Boolean

Stores one of two values: True or False

Hierarchy charts

Shows how the different parts of a program relate to each other Also known as HIPO (Hierarchy plus Input-Process-Output) or VTOC (Visual Table of Contents)

String

This common variable type stores letters, numbers, and symbols

Pseudocode

Uses English-like phrases with some Python terms to outline the task (Allows the programmer to focus on the steps required to solve a problem rather than on how to use the computer language)

Sequence Structure

When each step is in a sequence and we go through every step without skipping anything in order to obtain data, perform calculation, and display the results through a series of instructions

Char

a data type which is one character long

Programmer/Developer

a person who solves problems by writing programs on a computer

Divide-and-conquer method

Breaking down major parts of a program so we can see what must be done in general, to be able to refine each part into more detailed plans using flowcharts or pseudocode

Bug

error in a program

Hardware

physical components of a computer including all peripherals, the CPU, disk drives, and all mechanical and electrical devices

Program

sequence of instructions

'If' statement

statement used to ask a question and determine which way the program will go

Escape character (\)

string operator declares that the following character should be literally intercepted

Debugging

testing and correcting errors

Index/Indices

the number which locates the position of a value in a list

Testing

the process of finding errors in a program

Coding

the process of writing a program

Code

the python instructions that the programmer writes

Software Development Life Cycle

the sequence of steps used by programmers to plan their program

Interpreted language

translates high level language one statement at a time into machine language (Terminates the program if there's an error)

Comma

used to separate that data in a list

Flowcharts

Graphically depict the logical steps to carry out a task and show how the steps relate to each other (Makes the logic easier to follow)

List or Array

EX: ["Joel","Raymond", "Niam", "Jamie"], Commonly used Python data structure contains a collection of item referenced by a number index

Increment

EX: i=i+1 and is often used to manipulate lists

Software

Programs

Repetition Structure or Loop Structure

A programming structure that executes instructions many times

Concatenation (+) operator

"glues" two strings together

User

Any person who runs the program

raw_input() or input

Function allows users input text to be assigned to a variable

IDLE

Integrated DeveLopment Environment

Zero-based numbering system-

Numbering begins with zero instead of one. Ex: Code- "C" is zero and "o" is one.

Desk Checking

The algorithm should be tested at the flowchart stage before being coded into a program

Float

This variable type stores decimal numbers

ELIF

Used after an IF statement to ask another question if the first IF statement was FALSE

ELSE

Used after an IF statement to perform a set of commands based on the IF statement being FALSE

Decision

Used for any logic or comparison operations. Has one entry and two exit paths. Path chosen depends on whether the answer to a questions is "yes" or "no"

Processing

Used for arithmetic and data-manipulation operations. Instructions are listed inside the rectangle

Input/Output

Used for input and output operations. The data to be input or output is described in the parallelogram

Flowline

Used to connect symbols and indicate the flow of logic

Connector

Used to join different flowlines

Annotation

Used to provide additional information about another flowchart symbol

Terminal

Used to represent the beginning (Start) or the end (End) of a task

Decision Structure

When problems require a "yes" or "no" answer to know what instruction should be executed. You are making a decision

len()

built-in Python function which tells the length of a list

For or while loop

flow control statement loops through a set of statements based on if a condition remains TRUE

strip()

function returns a string leading and trailing white spaces removed

Block headers

lines that end with a colon (Beginning of a repetition or decision structure) Block- group of one or more lines

Running

process of executing the instructions

Source Code

the instruction already implement into the Python program without any user or programmer input

Block structured language

the level of indentation in line of code determines the extent of the block (important to have the same level of indentation)