Java Final Exam

"Term","Definition"

"Java Platform","A software environment consisting of the JVM, API, and tools that allows Java programs to run on any machine regardless of the underlying operating system."

"Write Once, Run Anywhere (WORA)","The core philosophy of Java, meaning compiled Java code can execute on any device that has a compatible Java Virtual Machine (JVM) installed."

"JDK (Java Development Kit)","The software development environment used to compile and run Java programs, containing the JRE, compiler (javac), and documentation tools."

"JVM (Java Virtual Machine)","The engine that executes Java bytecode, translating it into native machine code line-by-line during runtime."

"Bytecode","The intermediate, platform-independent machine language produced by the Java compiler (.class file) that runs directly on the JVM."

"Primitive Variable","A variable that stores the actual, raw data value directly in its memory location (e.g., int, double, boolean)."

"Reference Variable","A variable that stores the memory address (pointer) of where an object or array is physically located, rather than the data itself."

"Primitive Types (The 8)","byte, short, int, long, float, double, char, and boolean. These are built-in and do not have methods."

"Decision Structure","A programming mechanism used to evaluate conditions and alter the flow of execution based on true/false outcomes (e.g., if/else, switch)."

"Short-Circuit Evaluation","Java logic where the second operand isn't evaluated if the first determines the outcome (e.g., in 'false && x', x is ignored; in 'true || x', x is ignored)."

"Class","A blueprint, template, or user-defined data type used to create individual objects, defining their attributes and behaviors."

"Object","An active instance of a class that holds real data values in memory and can perform actions using methods."

"Encapsulation","An OOP concept that hides an object's internal data by making variables private and forcing access through public getter and setter methods."

"Inheritance","An OOP concept where a subclass inherits all attributes and methods from a parent superclass using the 'extends' keyword to promote code reuse."

"Polymorphism","An OOP concept meaning 'many forms' that allows a single method name to behave differently based on the object calling it (via overriding or overloading)."

"Interface","A completely abstract structure defined with the 'interface' keyword that forces implementing classes to write concrete code for its empty method signatures."

"UML Class Diagram","A visual design tool mapping out classes, showing their variables, methods, visibility modifiers (+ for public, - for private), and relationships."

"public","A Java visibility modifier keyword making a class, variable, or method accessible to any other class in the entire application."

"private","A Java visibility modifier keyword restricting access to a variable or method so it can only be seen and used inside its own class."

"static","A Java keyword meaning a variable or method belongs to the class itself rather than individual instances, accessed without creating an object."

"final","A Java keyword making variables unchangeable constants, preventing classes from being inherited, or stopping methods from being overridden."

"Java API","The pre-written collection of thousands of libraries and classes provided by Oracle to handle tasks like string manipulation, math, and networking."

"AWT (Abstract Window Toolkit)","Java's original GUI toolkit that relies heavily on the operating system's native code, resulting in an interface that looks different on every machine."

"SWING","Java's second-generation GUI toolkit that is written entirely in Java, providing highly portable, lightweight, and customizable interface components."