CS 2341 - Study Guide for Exam 1: Data Abstraction

Vocabulary flashcards covering data abstraction, object creation, references, and ADT implementation for CS 2341 Exam 1.

Data Type

A set of values together with a set of operations on those values.

Abstract Data Type (ADT)

A data type whose internal representation is hidden from the client, with only the API visible.

Object

An entity that holds a data-type value, characterized by state (current value), identity (distinguishes one object from another), and behavior (effect of operations).

Reference

A Java mechanism for accessing an object (a pointer to it in memory).

API (Application Programming Interface)

A list of constructors and instance methods, with informal descriptions of their behavior.

Client

A program that uses a data type via its API.

Implementation

The code that provides the behavior specified by an API.

new Keyword

Used to invoke a constructor, causing the system to allocate memory, initialize the value, and return a reference.

Aliasing

Occurs when an assignment statement with reference types copies the reference rather than the object, causing both variables to point to the same object.

Pass by Value (in Java)

The concept that Java always passes a copy of the argument: copying the value for primitive types and the reference for objects.

Instance Variables

Variables declared with private to enforce encapsulation, holding one value per instance.

Constructors

Routines that have the same name as the class and are used to initialise instance variables.

Instance Methods

Methods that operate on a specific object's data.