The process of formulating a problem, finding a solution, and expressing the solution.
high-level language:
A programming language like Python that is designed to be easy for humans to read and write.
low-level language:
A programming language that is designed to be easy for a computer to execute; also called “machine language” or “assembly language.”
portability:
A property of a program that can run on more than one kind of computer.
interpret:
To execute a program in a high-level language by translating it one line at a time.
compile:
To translate a program written in a high-level language into a low-level language all at once, in preparation for later execution.
source code:
A program in a high-level language before being compiled.
object code:
The output of the compiler after it translates the program.
executable:
Another name for object code that is ready to be executed.
prompt:
Characters displayed by the interpreter to indicate that it is ready to take input from the user.
script:
A program stored in a file (usually one that will be interpreted).
interactive mode:
A way of using the Python interpreter by typing commands and expressions at the prompt.
script mode:
A way of using the Python interpreter to read and execute statements in a script.
program:
A set of instructions that specifies a computation.
algorithm:
A general process for solving a category of problems.
bug:
An error in a program.
debugging:
The process of finding and removing any of the three kinds of programming errors.
syntax:
The structure of a program.
syntax error:
An error in a program that makes it impossible to parse (and therefore impossible to interpret).
exception:
An error that is detected while the program is running.
semantics:
The meaning of a program.
semantic error:
An error in a program that makes it do something other than what the programmer intended.
natural language:
Any one of the languages that people speak that evolved naturally.
formal language:
Any one of the languages that people have designed for specific purposes, such as representing mathematical ideas or computer programs; all programming languages are formal languages.
token:
One of the basic elements of the syntactic structure of a program, analogous to a word in a natural language.
parse:
To examine a program and analyze the syntactic structure.
print statement:
An instruction that causes the Python interpreter to display a value on the screen.
“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.”
