Object (computer science)In software development, an object is a semanticentity that has state, behavior, and identity. An object can model some part of reality or can be an invention of the design process whose collaborations with other such objects serve as the mechanisms that provide some higher-level behavior. Put another way, an object represents an individual, identifiable item, unit, or entity, either real or abstract, with a well-defined role in the problem domain.
Memory addressIn computing, a memory address is a reference to a specific memory location in memory used by both software and hardware. These addresses are fixed-length sequences of digits, typically displayed and handled as unsignedintegers. This numerical representation is based on the features of CPU (such as the instruction pointer and incremental address registers). Programming language constructs often treat the memory like an array.
Computer architectureIn computer science and computer engineering, a computer architecture is the conceptual design and operational structure of a computer system that define how component parts are organized and interact to execute programs efficiently. It is often a general description that ignores precise implementation details. It covers the instruction set architecture, CPU microarchitecture, memory, and input/output systems.
Computer memoryComputer memory stores information, such as data and programs, for immediate use in the computer; instructions fetched by the computer, and data fetched and stored by those instructions, are located in computer memory. The terms memory, main memory, and primary storage are also used for computer memory. Computer memory is often referred to as RAM, meaning random-access memory, although some older forms of computer memory, such as drum memory, are not random-access.
Programming languageA programming language is an engineered language for expressing computer programs, typically allowing software to be written in a human readable manner. Execution of a program requires an implementation. There are two main approaches for implementing a programming language – compilation, where programs are translated ahead-of-time to machine code, and interpretation, where programs are directly executed.
Computer hardwareComputer hardware, commonly shortened to hardware, includes the physical parts of a computer, such as the central processing unit (CPU), random-access memory (RAM), motherboard, computer data storage, graphics card, sound card, and computer case. It includes external devices such as a monitor, mouse, keyboard, and speakers. By contrast, software is a set of written instructions that can be stored and run by hardware.
Computer scienceStudy of computationFundamental areas of computer scienceProgramming language theoryComputer architectureArtificial intelligenceComputational complexity theoryComputer science is the study of computation, information, and automation, together with their associated phenomena.Assignment (computer science)In computer programming, an assignment statement sets and/or re-sets the value stored in the storage location(s) denoted by a variablename; in other words, it copies a value into the variable. In most imperativeprogramming languages, the assignment statement (or expression) is a fundamental construct. Today, the most commonly used notation for this operation is x = expr (originally Superplan 1949–51, popularized by Fortran 1957 and C).
Data structureIn computer science, a data structure is a way to organize and store data that is usually chosen for efficient access to data. More precisely, a data structure is the physical implementation of a data type, including specifications of the data organization and storage format, as well as functions or operations for working with this data. Data structures are closely related to abstract data types (ADTs).
Collection (abstract data type)In computer programming, a collection is an abstract data type that is a grouping of items that can be used in a polymorphic way. Often, the items are of the same data type such as int or string. Sometimes the items derive from a common type; even deriving from the most general type of a programming language such as object or variant.
Computer performanceIn computing, computer performance is the amount of useful work accomplished by a computer system. Outside specific contexts, computer performance is estimated in terms of accuracy, efficiency and speed of executing computer program instructions. When it comes to high computer performance, one or more of the following factors might be involved: Short response time for a given piece of work.High throughput (rate of processing work tasks).Low utilization of computing resources.Memory-mapped I/O and port-mapped I/OMemory-mapped I/O (MMIO) and port-mapped I/O (PMIO) are two complementary methods of performing input/output (I/O) between the central processing unit (CPU) and peripheral devices in a computer (often mediating access via chipset). An alternative approach is using dedicated I/O processors, commonly known as channels on mainframe computers, which execute their own instructions. Memory-mapped I/O uses the same address space to address both main memory and I/O devices.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.