Introduction to Methods

New Terminology

Defensive programming: A programming strategy that assumes that something can go wrong, no matter how careful we are.
Scope: In programming, the extent to which a variable or method is visible to users of that variable or method.
Subprogram, function, method: A collection of statements that can perform a specified task. They are "invoked" during program execution and "return" to the point of invokation when finished.

scope: In Java, block scope is the norm for all variables. Scope defines the visibility of variables and their values within an application.
method: The specific name given to Java subprograms
value returning method: A method that performs an action and returns a value
void method: A method that performs an action but does not return a value
return statement: The statement in java that returns a value to the calling method
return type: The data type of the returned value from a method
void: A special return data type that means that nothing is returned from a method
parameter (formal parameter): A set of locally defined variables in a method which recieve values from the calling method
argument (actual parameter): A set of values that is passed from the calling method to the invoked method
call by value: A scheme of copying the value in the calling method to the local variable in the invoked method's parameters.