module 6 terms - ap computer science a

Term	Description
Access Level	Determines the level of access other files have to the class’s data or methods.
Attributes	Stores an Object’s data.
Class	A blueprint for what an Object stores and how it behaves.
Class Attribute	The Attribute is created once and it shared between all instances of the class. Class attributes can be accessed through the class name like Math.PI
Class Method	Can only access class attributes. Class methods can be accessed through the class name like Math.pow()
Constructors	Special methods used for constructing an Object.
Default Constructor	A constructor that receives 0 parameters. When a class has 0 constructors a hidden default constructor is create that will set all objects to null, booleans to false and all other primitives to 0.
Encapsulation	The combining of data (attributes) into a class.
equals	A method used to check equality of two Objects.
final	Used to make a variable constant.
Accessor/Getter	A method that allows public access to a private attribute.
Information Hiding	When classes store their data privately prevent unwanted modifications.
Instance Attribute	Every instance of an Object gets its own copy of the variable.
Instance Methods	Can access both instance and class variables. Can only be accessed through an instance of class.
Modifiers	Sets method or attribute properties.
null	A keyword used to denote that a variable is not referencing any Object.
package	A group of related classes.
private	Data cannot be accessed outside the file.
protected	Data can be modified by classes that share the same package or any subclass.
public	Data can be fully accessed outside the file.
Mutator/Setter	A method that allow private attributes to be changed publicly
static	Sets an attribute or method to be a class attribute or class method.
this	A keyword used to access the current instance of the class.
toString	A method used to return a text version of an Object.