ENSC 151: Introduction to Software Development for Engineers

Flashcards covering key concepts in computer programming and software development from the ENSC 151 course.

Computer

An electronic device that performs arithmetic and logical operations.

CPU

Central Processing Unit; the brain of the computer.

ALU

Arithmetic Logic Unit; a component of the CPU that performs arithmetic and logical operations.

RAM

Random Access Memory; the primary storage of a computer, which is volatile.

Hard Drive

A type of secondary storage that retains data permanently.

Fetch Instruction

The process of retrieving an instruction from memory.

Decode & Execute Instruction

The process of interpreting and performing the fetched instruction.

Algorithm

A precise, systematic method for producing a specified result.

Modularity

The concept of breaking down complex systems into smaller, manageable modules.

Branching

A control structure that allows conditional execution of code based on expressions.

Looping

A control structure that repeats code multiple times until a certain condition is met.

Precedence

The order in which operators are evaluated in an expression.

Data Type

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

Boolean

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

Sentinel-controlled Loop

A loop that continues until a specific sentinel value is encountered.

Counter-controlled Loop

A loop that executes a specific number of times based on a counter.

Variable Scope

The part of the program where a variable is accessible.

Increment Operator (++)

An operator that increases the value of a variable by one.

Decrement Operator (--)

An operator that decreases the value of a variable by one.

if Statement

A decision-making statement that executes a block of code when a condition is true.

Switch Statement

A control statement that allows multi-way branching based on the value of a variable.

Compound Statement

A block of code that can contain multiple statements, enclosed in curly braces.