Java Ch 3

methods

-a series of statements that perform tasks

-keeps the main() method short and easy to follow

-makes code easy to read and re-usable

method declaration

-optional access specifiers (public, private, etc)

-return type for method (void, int, double, etc)

-set of parentheses (might contain data to be sent to the method)

access specifiers

-optional access specifiers (public, private, etc)

-any method that can be used without instantiation an object requires the static modifier

return type

-describes the type of data the method sends back to the calling method

-if no data is returned to the method, the return value is void

return statement

-causes value to be sent from called method back to calling method

-can be any type used in Java

overloading

-using one term to indicate diverse meanings

-writing multiple methods with the same name but different arguments

-complier understands meaning based on arguments used with method call