CHAPTER 7 - Expressions and Assignment Statements

Expression

Combination of operators and operands that produces a value.

Operand

Data item manipulated by an operator.

Operator

Symbol representing an operation. Example: +, -, *

Unary Operator

Operator requiring one operand. Example: -x

Binary Operator

Operator requiring two operands. Example: a + b

Ternary Operator

Operator requiring three operands. Example: condition ? x : y

Operator Precedence

Rules determining order of operation evaluation.

Associativity

Rules determining evaluation direction when operators have same precedence.

Left Associativity

Evaluation from left to right. Example: a - b - c

Right Associativity

Evaluation from right to left. Example: Assignment operators.

Order of Evaluation

Sequence in which operands are evaluated.

Side Effect

Change in program state during expression evaluation. Example: Modifying global variable.

Functional Side Effect

Function changes data outside itself while computing.

Lazy Evaluation

Expression evaluated only when needed.

Eager Evaluation

Expression evaluated immediately.

Operator Overloading

Giving multiple meanings to an operator. Example: + for numbers and strings.

Coercion

Implicit type conversion. Example: Integer automatically converted to float.

Cast

Explicit type conversion by programmer. Example: (float)x

Relational Expression

Expression comparing values. Example: x > y

Boolean Expression

Expression producing true or false.

Short-Circuit Evaluation

Stopping evaluation once result is already determined.

Assignment Statement

Statement assigning value to variable.

Assignment as Expression

Assignment producing a value usable inside another expression.

Multiple Assignment

Assigning same value to multiple variables. Example: x = y = z = 0

Conditional Target

Assignment target chosen conditionally.

Mixed-Mode Assignment

Assignment involving different data types.

Loss of Precision

Information loss during type conversion. Example: Assigning float to integer.

Imperative Computation

Program execution through state changes using assignments.

Control Structure

Statement controlling execution flow along with the statements it manages.

Selection Statement

Control structure choosing among alternatives.

Two-Way Selection

Selection between two paths. Example: if-else.

if Statement

Executes statements based on condition truth.

Nested if Statement

if statement placed inside another if.

Dangling Else Problem

Ambiguity about which if matches an else clause.

Multiple-Way Selection

Selection among many alternatives. Example: switch-case.

switch Statement

Control structure selecting execution path based on expression value.

case Clause

Branch inside switch statement.

default Clause

Branch executed when no cases match.

Iterative Statement

Control structure performing repeated execution.

Counter-Controlled Loop

Loop managed by a counter variable. Example: for loop.

for Loop

Loop with initialization, condition, and update components.

Loop Counter

Variable tracking loop repetitions.

Logically Controlled Loop

Loop controlled by Boolean expression.

Pretest Loop

Loop checking condition before body execution. Example: while.

while Loop

Pretest loop executing while condition remains true.

Posttest Loop

Loop checking condition after body execution. Example: do-while.

do-while Loop

Loop guaranteed to execute at least once.

Infinite Loop

Loop that never terminates.

Loop Body

Statements repeatedly executed in a loop.

Loop Initialization

Initial setup before loop execution.

Loop Update

Statement modifying loop control variable.

User-Located Loop Control

Programmer-controlled transfer within loop using statements like break and continue.

break Statement

Immediately exits loop or switch.

continue Statement

Skips remaining loop body and proceeds to next iteration.

foreach Loop

Loop iterating directly through collection elements.

Data-Structure Iteration

Iterating through arrays, lists, or collections.

goto Statement

Unconditional branch to labeled statement.

Unconditional Branching

Transfer of control without condition checking.

Spaghetti Code

Confusing and tangled program flow caused by excessive branching.

Loop Condition

Expression determining whether loop continues.

Nested Loop

Loop placed inside another loop.

Control Expression

Expression deciding control structure behavior.

Boolean-Controlled Iteration

Repetition based on Boolean condition.

Selection Control Expression

Expression used in if or switch statements.

Multiple Entry Control Structure

Structure allowing several entry points, often discouraged.

Loop Termination

Process of ending loop execution.

Menu-Driven Program

Program repeatedly showing menu options, commonly using posttest loops.

Traversal

Visiting all elements of a collection.

Readable Control Structure

Control structure easy to understand and maintain.

Structured Programming

Programming style emphasizing clear, predictable control flow.

Unstructured Programming

Programming style using excessive goto statements causing confusion.