A property of a program that can run on more than one kind of computer.
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problem solving
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The process of formulating a problem, finding a solution, and expressing the solution.
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runtime error
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An error that does not occur until the program has started to execute but that prevents the program from continuing.
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debugging
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The process of finding and removing any of the three kinds of programming errors.
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Python shell
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An interactive user interface to the Python interpreter. The user of a Python shell types commands at the prompt (>>>), and presses the return key to send these commands immediately to the interpreter for processing.
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semantic 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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Bug
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An error in a program.
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parse
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To examine a program and analyze the syntactic structure.
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semantics
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The meaning of a program.
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print function
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A function used in a program or script that causes the Python interpreter to display a value on its output device.
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formal language
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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.
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high-level language
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A programming language like Python that is designed to be easy for humans to read and write.
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activecode
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A unique interpreter environment that allows Python to be executed from within a web browser.
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token
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One of the basic elements of the syntactic structure of a program, analogous to a word in a natural language.
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syntax
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The structure of a program
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byte code
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An intermediate language between source code and object code. Many modern languages first compile source code into byte code and then interpret the byte code with a program called a virtual machine.
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exception
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Another name for a runtime error.
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algorithm
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A general step by step process for solving a problem.
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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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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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shell mode
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A style of using Python where we type expressions at the command prompt, and the results are shown immediately. Contrast with source code, and see the entry under Python shell.
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object code
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The output of the compiler after it translates the program.
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source code
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A program, stored in a file, in a high-level language before being compiled or interpreted.
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compile
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To translate a program written in a high-level language into a low-level language all at once, in preparation for later execution.
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programming language
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A formal notation for representing solutions.
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program
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A sequence of instructions that specifies to a computer actions and computations to be performed.
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comment
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Information in a program that is meant for other programmers (or anyone reading the source code) and has no effect on the execution of the program.
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codelens
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An interactive environment that allows the user to control the step by step execution of a Python 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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natural language
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Any one of the languages that people speak that evolved naturally.
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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 interpret.