AP CSA Unit 1: Using Objects and Methods

Honors JAVA/AP CSA

Syntax Error

An error in the code that occurs when the code does not conform to the syntax rules of the programming language.

Algorithm

A step-by-step procedure or formula for solving a problem.

String

A sequence of characters, typically used to represent text.

Variable

A storage location identified by a name that can hold different values during the execution of a program.

Primitive Type

Basic data types provided by a programming language, such as int, char, and boolean.

Boolean

A data type that can hold one of two values: true or false.

Reference Type

A data type that refers to an object or an instance of a class.

Data Type

A classification that specifies which type of value a variable can hold.

Reassignment

The process of assigning a new value to a variable that has already been initialized.

Modulus operator

An operator that returns the remainder of a division operation.

Integer Division

A division operation that results in an integer by discarding any fractional part.

Escape Sequence

A sequence of characters that represents a special character in a string.

Arithmetic Expression

An expression that uses arithmetic operators to compute a value.

Truncation

The process of shortening a number by removing digits, often resulting in a loss of precision.

Scanner class

A class in Java used to obtain input from various sources, including user input.

Assignment Statement

A statement that assigns a value to a variable.

Input Buffer

A temporary storage area for data being transferred from input devices.

Casting

The process of converting a variable from one data type to another.

Order of Operations

The rules that determine the sequence in which operations are performed in an expression.

Round-Off Error

The difference between the calculated value and the actual value due to rounding.

Integer Overflow

An error that occurs when a calculation exceeds the maximum limit of an integer data type.

Truncate

To shorten a number by dropping the decimal part.

Increment

The operation of increasing a variable's value by a fixed amount, usually by 1.

Decrement

The operation of decreasing a variable's value by a fixed amount, usually by 1.

Compound Assignment Operator

An operator that combines an arithmetic operation with assignment.

Method

A block of code that performs a specific task and can be called upon when needed.

Documentation

Written text that explains how to use a piece of software or code.

Library

A collection of pre-written code that can be used to perform common tasks.

API

Application Programming Interface; a set of routines, protocols, and tools for building software.

Comment Out

To disable a line of code by turning it into a comment.

Precondition

A condition that must be true before a method is executed.

Postcondition

A condition that must be true after a method has executed.

Single Line Comments

Comments that occupy a single line, typically starting with //.

Multi-line Comment

Comments that span multiple lines, typically enclosed in /* and */.

Javadoc Comment

A special type of comment used to generate documentation for Java code.

Argument

A value that is passed to a method when it is called.

Parameter

A variable in a method definition that receives an argument.

Method Signature

The combination of a method's name and its parameter list.

Method Overloading

The ability to define multiple methods with the same name but different parameter lists.

Return Type

The data type of the value that a method returns.

Void

A return type indicating that a method does not return a value.

Instance Method

A method that belongs to an instance of a class.

Static Method

A method that belongs to the class itself rather than any instance.

Encapsulation

The bundling of data and methods that operate on that data within a single unit, or class.

Modularization

The process of dividing a program into smaller, manageable, and independent modules.

Math class

A class in Java that provides methods for performing basic numeric operations.

Math.random

A method that returns a random double value between 0.0 and 1.0.

Math.sqrt

A method that returns the square root of a given number.

Math.pow

A method that returns the value of the first argument raised to the power of the second argument.

Class

A blueprint for creating objects that defines a set of attributes and methods.

Object

An instance of a class that contains data and methods.

Superclass

A class from which other classes inherit properties and methods.

Inheritance

A mechanism in object-oriented programming where one class can inherit properties and methods from another class.

Instantiate

The process of creating an instance of a class.

Attributes

Variables that hold data specific to an object.

Constructor

A special method used to initialize objects.

toString

A method that returns a string representation of an object.

Overloading

The ability to define multiple methods with the same name but different parameter types.

Concatenation

The operation of joining two or more strings together.

Substring

A portion of a string extracted from a larger string.

Immutable

An object whose state cannot be modified after it is created.

Implicit Conversion

Automatic conversion of one data type to another by the compiler.