Lesson 1.2: Variables

alphanumeric values: characters that include both letters (A–Z) and numbers (0–9)

assignment operator: a symbol used to assign a value to a variable, typically =

assignment statement: a line of code that assigns a value to a variable, like x = 5

binary operator: an operator that takes two operands, such as +, -, *, and /

camel casing: a naming convention where the first letter is lowercase and each subsequent word starts with an uppercase letter, like myVariableName

garbage: unused or leftover data in memory that the program no longer needs or references

Hungarian notation: a naming convention where the name of a variable starts with a prefix indicating its type, like strName for a string variable

identifier: a name given to a variable, function, or other item in code to identify it

initializing a variable: assigning an initial value to a variable when it is declared, like int x = 10 

kebob case: a naming convention where words are all lowercase and separated by hyphens, like my-variable-name

keyword (reserved word): a reserved word in a programming language that has a specific meaning and cannot be used as an identifier, like if, while, and class

lvalue: an expression that refers to a memory location, which can appear on the left side of an assignment, like x in x = 5

mixed case with underscores: a naming convention that combines uppercase and lowercase letters with underscores between words, like My_Variable_Name

numeric constant: a fixed number value written directly in the code, like 42

numeric variable: a variable that holds a number value

operand: a value or variable on which an operator acts, like 3 and 5 in 3 + 5

Pascal casing: a naming convention in which each word in the name starts with an uppercase letter, like MyVariableName

right-to-left associativity: the order in which operations are performed in expressions where operators of the same precedence appear, processed from right to left

snake casing: a naming convention in which words are all lowercase and separated by underscores, like my_variable_name

string constant: a fixed sequence of characters written directly in the code, like "Hello, World!"

string variable: a variable that holds a sequence of characters (a string)

type safety: ensuring a variable is only used in ways consistent with its data type, preventing type errors

unnamed constant: a fixed value used directly in code without assigning it to a variable, also known as a magic number, like 3.14 for π

variable: a named storage location in memory that can hold different values throughout a program