CS Awesome - Unit 1 Vocabulary

assignment statements

initialize or change the value stored in a variable using the assignment operator =.

Variable

A name associated with a memory location in the computer.

compiler or syntax error

An error or bug that is found by the compiler like a missing semicolon

Boolean

An expression that is either true or false.

Casting a Variable

Changing the type of a variable using (type) name.

Operator

Common mathematical symbols such as + for addition and * for multiplication.

ArithmeticException

If you divide by zero, you will get this error.

System.out.println()

Java method that lets us print out a line of output followed by a newline to the user

Camel Case

One way to create a variable name by appending several words together and uppercasing the first letter of each word after the first word (myScore).

Shortcut or compound assignment operators

Operators like x++ or x+= 1 which mean x = x + 1

compiler

Software that translates the Java source code into the Java class file that can be run.

operator precedence

Some operators are done before others, for example *, /, % have precedence over + and -, unless parentheses are used.

Declare a Variable

Specifying the type and name for a variable. This sets aside memory for a variable of that type and associates the name with that memory location.

String literal

Text enclosed by double quotes.

modulo

The % operator which returns the remainder from one number divide by another.

Initializing a Variable

The first time you set the value of a variable.

increment operator

The operator (++) that increases the value of a numerical variable by one.

Main Method

Where execution starts in a Java program.

arithmetic expression

a sequence of operands and operators that describe a calculation to be performed, for example 3*(2 + x)

data type

determines the size of memory reserved for a variable, for example int, double, boolean, String.

static

means that the field or method exists in the object that defines the class.

int

used to declare a variable of type integer (a whole number like -3 or 235).

boolean

used to declare a variable that can only have the value true or false.

double

used to declare a variable that is a decimal number like 3.25.