Section 5.13 Glossary

Glossary Glossary

Algorithm.

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A general process for solving a category of problems.

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Argument.

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A value provided to a function when the function is called. This value is assigned to the corresponding parameter in the function.

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Function Body.

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The sequence of statements inside a function definition.

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Composition.

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Using an expression as part of a larger expression, or a statement as part of a larger statement.

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Deterministic.

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Pertaining to a program that does the same thing each time it runs given the same inputs.

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Dot Notation.

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The syntax for calling a function in another module by specifying the module name followed by a dot (period) and the function name.

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Flow of Execution.

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The order in which statements are executed during a program run.

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Fruitful Function.

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A function that returns a value.

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Function.

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A named sequence of statements that performs some useful operation. Functions may or may not take arguments and may or may not return a value.

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Function Call.

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A statement that executes a function. It consists of the function name followed by an argument list.

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Function Object.

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A value created by a function definition. The name of the function is a variable that refers to a function object.

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Header.

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The first line of a function definition.

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Import Statement.

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A statement that reads a module file and creates a module object.

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Module Object.

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A value created by an import statement that provides access to the data and code defined in a module.

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Parameter.

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A name used inside a function to refer to the value passed as an argument.

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Pseudorandom.

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Pertaining to a sequence of numbers that appear to be random, but are generated by a deterministic program.

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Return Value.

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The result of a function. If a function call is used as an expression, the return value is the value of the expression.

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Void Function.

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A function that does not have a return value.

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