Fundamentals of Programming

Algorithm

the set of step-by-step instructions that accomplish a task

Assembler

a program that converts assembly instructions into machine code

Assembly languages

programming languages that use mnemonics, such as ADD

Coding

the process of translating a solution into a language that the computer can understand

Compiler

a program that converts high-level instructions into a language that the computer can understand; unlike an interpreter, it converts all of a program's instructions before running the program

Computer programs

the directions given to computers; also called programs

Control structures

the structures that control the flow of a program's logic; also called logic structures; sequence, selection, and repetition

Decision structure

another term for the selection structure

High-level languages

programming languages whose instructions more closely resemble the English language

Interpreter

a program that converts high-level instructions into a language that the computer can understand; unlike a compiler, an interpreter converts a program's instructions, line by line, as the program is running

Iteration

another term for the repetition structure

Loop

another term for the repetition structure

Machine code

another term for machine language

Machine language

computer instructions written in 0s and 1s; also called machine code

Mnemonics

the alphabetic abbreviations used to represent instructions in assembly languages

Object-oriented program

a program designed by focusing on the objects that the program could use to accomplish its goal

Procedure-oriented program

a program designed by focusing on the individual tasks to be performed

Programmers

the people who write computer programs

Programming

giving a mechanism the directions to accomplish a task

Programming languages

languages used to communicate with a computer

Repetition structure

the control structure that directs the computer to repeat one or more instructions until some condition is met, at which time the computer should stop repeating the instructions; also called a loop or iteration

Selection structure

the control structure that directs the computer to make a decision and then take the appropriate action based on that decision; also called the decision structure

Sequence structure

the control structure that directs the computer to process each instruction in the order listed in the program