Java Quiz Terms

garbage collector

A built in function of the Java VM that frees memory as objects are no longer needed or referenced

mutator

A method that changes the state of an object

accessor

A method that returns information about an object back to the calling program

Constructor

A special method used to create an instance of a class

class

A template used for making Java objects

instantiate

A verb used to describe the act of creating a class object using the keyword new

object

An instance of a class

method

Function that is in encapsulated as part of a class

Object Reference

The name of a variable that is associated with an object

new

The operator used to create an instance of a class

initialization

The process of assigning a default value to a variable

null

An object reference that has not been instantiated

this

An optional keyword used to access the members and methods of a class

Finalizers

An optional method that is called just before an object is removed by the garbage collector