Computer Programming - Semester 2 Final

\ n

New line character

\ t

Tab character

Boolean

A value that is either true or false

Character

A single character

Comments

Describes what the program does and how you understand it

Concatenation

Combining two strings together

Counter

A variable that counts during a loop

Decrement

Decreases the value of a variable

Dictionary

A list containing a key and a value

Hard drive

Where everything is stored

IDE

Integrated Development Environment, where software is developed and run

In

A keyword used to check membership in a sequence

Increment

Increases the value of a variable

Index

The position within a string, list, set, or tuple

Infinite loop

A loop that runs endlessly until stopped by the user

Integer

A whole number

Key words

Reserved words used as commands in the language

Key Values

Assigning a value to a key in a dictionary

Len()

Finds the length of a collection

List

A variable that holds multiple values

Logical Operators

Operators like And, Or, and Not

RAM

Random Access Memory, short-term storage used while a program runs

Relational Operators

Operators like <, >, <=, >=, ==

String

A sequence of characters (word or phrase)

Tuple

A collection that cannot be changed after creation

Math Operators

Operators like +, -, /, *, **, and %

Float

A variable that can store decimal numbers

Rules for variable assignment

Use camelCase, avoid reserved keywords, no spaces, and don’t start with a number

Difference between list and tuple (1)

A list is defined with square brackets [], while a tuple is defined with parentheses ()

Difference between list and tuple (2)

Tuples can hold all types of data, whereas lists can hold only one type of data. Tuples are immutable (cannot be modified), but lists are mutable.

readline()

Reads a single line from a file

Random.randint() vs Random.randrange()

Random.randint() includes the stop value, while Random.randrange() does not

While loop vs For loop

A for loop iterates a specific number of times and automatically increments, while a while loop repeats until a condition is met, often using a sentinel

Assignment operators (+=, -=)

Modify the variable’s value by performing an operation and reassigning it to itself

Four parts of every loop

Counter, sentinel, comparison statement, and increment/check for new input

Colon in Python

Indicates that the following code block is part of a function or control structure

Global Scope

Variables declared outside functions, accessible throughout the program

Local Scope

Variables declared inside a function, accessible only within that function

Block Scope

A variable that exists only inside a specific block of code like a loop

Sending parameters to a function

Place variables inside the function’s parentheses

Returning a value from a function

Use the return statement, followed by the value to return, and assign it to a variable

Why should you comment your code?

Comments help explain what the code does, both for yourself and others who read it

Ways to access a text file

Append (modify content), Read (retrieve content), Write (create or overwrite content)

What do you do when you're finished with a file?

Close the file to prevent data corruption