IT112 Week 1: Introduction to Computer Programming 1

Vocabulary flashcards covering core programming definitions, programming language categories, the C language, and software tools from IT112 Week 1.

Programming

The process of designing and writing instructions (code) that a computer can execute to perform specific tasks.

Programming Language

A formal language comprised of a set of instructions used to produce various kinds of output, implement algorithms, and enable communication between humans and computers.

Machine Language

The most basic level of programming language, consisting of binary code (0s and 1s) that the computer's hardware can directly execute.

Assembly Language

A low-level language that uses mnemonic codes and symbols to represent machine-level instructions.

Procedural Languages

High-level languages that follow a sequence of well-structured procedures and functions to execute a program.

Object-Oriented Languages (OOP)

Languages built around 'objects' (instances of classes), featuring key properties such as inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism.

Functional Languages

Languages that treat computation as the evaluation of mathematical functions and avoid changing states or mutable data.

Scripting Languages

Languages used for writing short, simple programs (scripts) to automate tasks, usually interpreted rather than compiled.

Declarative Languages

Languages that express the logic of computation without describing its control flow, focusing on 'what' the program should accomplish rather than 'how'.

Logic Programming Languages

A subtype of declarative languages, such as Prolog, that uses rules and facts to express computation.

Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs)

Specialized languages designed for a specific application domain, offering high-level constructs tailored to particular tasks.

System Programming Languages

Languages used to write system software that operates and controls computer hardware and provides a platform for application software.

Markup Languages

Languages used to annotate text or data to define how it should be displayed or structured (e.g., HTML, XML, Markdown) rather than specifying a sequence of operations.

C Language

A general-purpose programming language created by Dennis Ritchie at Bell Laboratories in 1972, which was developed to write the UNIX operating system.

Syntax

The rules that control and define the structure of symbols, punctuation, and words in a programming language.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

A software application that provides comprehensive facilities to programmers for software development, such as text editors, compilers/interpreters, debuggers, build automation tools, and version control integration.

Compiler

A tool that translates source code written in a high-level language into machine code that the computer's processor can execute.

GCC

GNU Compiler Collection, a popular C compiler.