Programming Overview

Runtime Engine

A special interpreter that translates bytecode into computer specific machine language. Bytecode is a platform independent, low-level language that is compiled from source code.

Algorithm

Specific, step-by-step procedures that illustrate how a problem will be solved.

Compiled Language

A computer programming language, such as C and C++, that uses a software tool called a compiler to translate the code into binary machine language.

Interpreted Language

A computer programming language, such as Python, JavaScript, and Ruby, that requires a program called an interpreter to execute the instructions written in the source code each time the application is run.

Function

A computer routine or snippet of code that can be reused in a computer program.

Assembly Language

A human-readable, low-level computer language that is a symbolic representation of binary machine language.

Container

A program element, such as an array or vector, that holds a set of values.

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP)

A programming paradigm based on the concept of objects which can contain both data and programming code.

Identifier

A user-defined name of a program element, such as a variable or constant.

Flowchart

A visual representation of the logic in a program.

Computer Programming

A way of giving computers precise, line-by-line instructions to follow using programming languages.

Pseudocode

A way to represent code in a manner that is easier for a wide range of people to understand.

Encapsulation

An OOP concept that describes how data and methods are bundled together within one unit or class.

Data Type

An attribute attached to a value that tells the compiler or interpreter how the data should be used.