How To Think Like a Computer Scientist C++ Edition The Pretext Interactive Version

Glossary Glossary

problem-solving.

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The process of formulating a problem, finding a solution, and expressing the solution.

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high-level language.

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A programming language like C++ that is designed to be easy for humans to read and write.

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low-level language.

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A programming language that is designed to be easy for a computer to execute. Also called “machine language” or “assembly language.”

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portability.

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A property of a program that can run on more than one kind of computer.

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formal language.

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Any of the languages people have designed for specific purposes, like representing mathematical ideas or computer programs. All programming languages are formal languages.

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natural language.

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Any of the languages people speak that have evolved naturally.

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interpret.

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To execute a program in a high-level language by translating it one line at a time.

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compile.

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To translate a program in a high-level language into a low-level language, all at once, in preparation for later execution.

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source code.

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A program in a high-level language, before being compiled.

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object code.

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The output of the compiler, after translating the program.

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executable.

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Another name for object code that is ready to be executed.

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algorithm.

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A general process for solving a category of problems.

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bug.

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An error in a program.

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syntax.

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The structure of a program.

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semantics.

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The meaning of a program.

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parse.

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To examine a program and analyze the syntactic structure.

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syntax error.

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An error in a program that makes it impossible to parse (and therefore impossible to compile).

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run-time error.

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An error in a program that makes it fail at run-time.

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logical error.

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An error in a program that makes it do something other than what the programmer intended.

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debugging.

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The process of finding and removing any of the three kinds of errors.

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