AP CSA - Unit 1 Vocabulary

Unit 1: Primitive Types

Java Virtual Machine (JVM)

Java Virtual Machine (JVM)

In order for a java program to run on a device, the computer must have this. It allows the compiled Java program to communicate with the computer. When a program is run, this finds the main statement and begins execution.

Statements

Specifies an action in a Java program. In Java, they can be broadly classified into three categories: declaration, expression, and control flow.

Syntax

Precise rules defining how the letters, words, and punctuation of a programming language are required to be used together.

semicolon

This punctuation marks the end of a programming statement.

Curly braces

Used in Java to surround bodies of loops, methods, and classes.

class

The formal implementation, or blueprint, of the attributes and behaviors of an object. It is an abstraction defining a type of object, with methods (instructions that can be executed) and attributes (variables to store data).

object

A specific instance of a class with defined attributes. They are able to execute any methods defined in its class.

method

These define an object's behavior, what it can do, or what can be done to it.

string

A data type representing a sequence of characters.

Primitive types

The most basic data types available within the Java language. There are eight: boolean, byte, char, short, int, long, float, and double. These types serve as the building blocks of data manipulation in Java.

int

integer

double

A primitive data type that stores decimal numbers.

boolean

Named after mathematician George Boole, it is a data type that represents a true or false value.

concatentate

Attaching two things side-by-side, frequently strings of text.

concatenation operator

+, allows you to place one string at the end of another. This is often referred to as "adding two strings."

machine code

Zeros and ones that represent simple instructions executed by a processor.

overflow

Occurs when an integer value falls outside of the allowed range. This could result in an incorrect value within the allowed range.

widening

process by which a value is converted from a smaller data type (such as an int) to a larger data type (such as a double).

narrowing

process by which a value is converted from a larger data type (such as a double) to a smaller data type (such as an integer).

type casting

converting from one data type to another, such as from a double to an int, potentially losing information.