The below is a reference of Python- and programming-related terms. It’s been modified from the one in our textbook.

activecode A unique interpreter environment that allows Python to be executed from within a web browser. Our textbook and our class site use activecode to make runnable Python.

algorithm A general step by step process for solving a problem.

bug An error in a program.

byte code 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.

codelens An interactive environment that allows the user to control the step by step execution of a Python program

comment 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. In Python, comments are written after #:

# This is a comment

print("This is code") # Comments can happen here too

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

debugging The process of finding and removing any of the three kinds of programming errors. Read more about debugging in our textbook here.

exception Another name for a runtime error.

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

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.

function A function is a bit of reusable code that can be called after being defined. Functions can be defined by you in your code or they can be defined in libraries that can be imported.

high-level language A programming language like Python that is designed to be easy for humans to read and write.

import You’ll often see import statements at the top of a bit of code. These import libraries of pre-written code. Libraries is a general term; in Python, these are also called modules

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

libraries Libraries are large collections of pre-written code designed to be imported.

low-level language A programming language that is designed to be easy for a computer to execute; also called machine language or assembly language.

modules This is Python’s word for libraries

natural language Any one of the languages that people speak that evolved naturally.

object code The output of the compiler after it translates the program.

parse To examine a program and analyze the syntactic structure.

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

print function A function used in a program or script that causes the Python interpreter to display a value on its output device.

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

program A sequence of instructions that specifies to a computer actions and computations to be performed.

programming language A formal notation for representing solutions.

Python shell 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.

runtime error An error that does not occur until the program has started to execute but that prevents the program from continuing.

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

semantics The meaning of a program.

shell mode 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.

source code A program, stored in a file, in a high-level language before being compiled or interpreted.

syntax The structure of a program. Python has very light syntax compared to other languages. It is relatively unique in that indentation plays a role in syntax.

syntax error An error in a program that makes it impossible to parse — and therefore impossible to interpret.

token One of the basic elements of the syntactic structure of a program, analogous to a word in a natural language.