8.5. Glossary¶

algorithm: A step-by-step process for solving a category of problems.
body: The indented statements after a heading ending in a colon, for instance after a for-loop heading.
counter: A variable used to count something, usually initialized to zero and incremented in the body of a loop.
cursor: An invisible marker that keeps track of where the next character will be printed.
definite iteration: A loop where we have an upper bound on the number of times the body will be executed. Definite iteration is usually best coded as a for loop.
escape sequence: An escape character, \, followed by one or more printable characters used to designate a nonprintable character.
generalize: To replace something unnecessarily specific (like a constant value) with something appropriately general (like a variable or parameter). Generalization makes code more versatile, more likely to be reused, and sometimes even easier to write.
infinite loop: A loop in which the terminating condition is never satisfied.
indefinite iteration: A loop where we just need to keep going until some condition is met. A while statement is used for this case.
iteration: Repeated execution of a set of programming statements.
loop: A statement or group of statements that execute repeatedly until a terminating condition is satisfied.
loop variable: A variable used as part of the terminating condition of a loop.
nested loop: A loop inside the body of another loop.
newline: A special character that causes the cursor to move to the beginning of the next line.
reassignment: Making more than one assignment to the same variable during the execution of a program.
tab: A special character that causes the cursor to move to the next tab stop on the current line.