CS Vocab

Object-Oriented Programming

A programming paradigm that uses interacting objects.

Program Specification

A description of a task.

Program Design

A written plan, an overview of the solution.

Program Implementation

The actual code written to fulfill the program design.

Test Data

Input used to test the program's functionality.

Program Maintenance

The process of keeping the program up to date and functional.

Top-Down Development

A development approach that involves implementing main classes first, followed by subsidiary classes.

Independent Class

A class that does not use other classes in its code.

Bottom-Up Development

A development strategy that involves implementing the lowest level, independent classes first.

Driver Class

A class used to test other classes, containing a main method.

Inheritance Relationship

An 'is-a' relationship between classes.

Composition Relationship

A 'has-a' relationship between classes.

Inheritance Hierarchy

A tree-like diagram representing inheritance relationships.

UML Diagram

A tree-like representation of relationships between classes in Unified Modeling Language.

Data Structure

A construct in Java for storing data fields.

Data Encapsulation

The practice of hiding data fields and methods within a class.

Stepwise Refinement

The process of breaking down methods into smaller, more manageable methods.

Procedural Abstraction

The use of separate methods to encapsulate specific tasks.

Algorithm

A step-by-step process used to solve a problem.

Stub Method

A dummy method called by another method during testing.

Debugging

The process of fixing errors within a program.

Robust Program

A program designed to screen out bad input.

Compile Time Error

An error, usually a syntax error, that prevents a program from compiling.

Syntax Error

An error caused by bad language usage, such as a missing brace.

Run Time Error

An error that occurs during the execution of a program, for example, integer division by zero.

Exception

A runtime error that is thrown by a Java method.

Logic Error

An error where the program runs but produces incorrect results.

Software Development

Writing a Program