APCSP Unit 4 - Making Decision with Python

algorithm

a process or set of rules to be followed in calculations or other problem solving operations; a set of instructions

sequencing algorithm

an algorithm that executes statements one at a time - in order, one after another, not skipping or repeating any statements

selection algorithm

a type of algorithm that uses conditions -- which can be true or false -- to control the flow of a program; uses if, if-else, or if-elif-else

iterative algorithm

a type of algorithms that loops or repeats code

Iterative Development Process

a software development approach where a project is divided into smaller iterations or cycles; each iteration involves the completion of a set of tasks, including planning, designing, coding, testing, and documentation

flowchart

a graphical representation of the steps involved in a computer algorithm

parameter

extra information sent in between the parentheses of a function

if statement

a structure used to determine if a condition is true or false; if true, it executes a block of code; if false, it skips that block of code

relational operators

a symbol that is used to compare two values; the result is either true or false

==

equal to

!=

not equal to

>

greater than

>=

greater than or equal to

<

less than

<=

less than or equal to

logical operator

a keyword that allows us to check more than one condition at a time; usually uses and, or, not

and

a logical operator that requires both conditions to be true for the overall condition to be true

or

a logical operator that requires only one condition to be true for the overall condition to be true

not

a logical operator that causes a condition to evaluate to the opposite

truth table

a breakdown of all the possible truth values returned by a logical expression

if-else statement

a structure used in order to have a program choose between two different sets of code; if the condition is true, the if section will execute; if the condition is false, the else section will execute

else-if statement

a structure used to check a series of conditions; when Python locates the first true condition, it executes that portion of the code and ignores the other conditions