Mastering Control Flow in Java

Boolean expression

A statement that evaluates to either true or false.

Relational operators

Operators that compare two values and return a boolean result.

== operator

Tests if two values are equal.

!= operator

Tests if two values are not equal.

< operator

Tests if the left value is less than the right value.

<= operator

Tests if the left value is less than or equal to the right value.

operator

Tests if the left value is greater than the right value.

= operator

Tests if the left value is greater than or equal to the right value.

Logical operators

Operators used to combine multiple boolean conditions.

Short-circuit evaluation

Method where evaluation of boolean expressions stops as soon as the result is determined.

AND (&&)

True only if both operands are true.

OR (||)

True if at least one operand is true.

NOT (!)

Inverts the boolean value.

De Morgan’s Laws

Rules that describe how to simplify negated boolean expressions.

!(A && B)

Equivalent to !A || !B.

!(A || B)

Equivalent to !A && !B.

Select Statement

Allows execution of code segments based on conditions.

if statement

Executes code only if the condition is true.

if-else statement

Provides an alternative path if the condition in if is false.

Block scope

The scope of variables declared in a block of code surrounded by braces.

== for primitives

Used to compare the values of primitive types.

.equals() for objects

Used to compare the content of objects, specifically String.

while loop

A loop that continues as long as the condition is true.

Pre-test loop

A loop that tests its condition before executing its body.

Digit extraction algorithm

An algorithm to extract digits from an integer using division and modulo.

for loop

A loop used for definite iteration with a known number of repetitions.

Initialization

The first step in a for loop where a loop control variable is set.

Iteration for for loop

The steps through which a loop control variable changes during each loop execution.

Nested loops

A loop inside another loop.

Standard range formula

Formula to calculate the number of iterations in loops.

Drawing a trace table

A method for visualizing variable changes across iterations.

Confusing = and == mistake

Using assignment instead of equality check in conditions.

String comparison error

Using == instead of .equals() for string comparisons.

The Semicolon of Death

Placing a semicolon at the end of a for loop, terminating it prematurely.

Off-by-One Error (OBOE)

A common mistake where boundary conditions are incorrectly set.

Infinite Loop

A loop that never ends due to a condition always being true.

Arithmetic exception in short-circuiting

Error caused by misordering of conditions that leads to division by zero.

Flow of a program

The sequence in which statements or expressions are executed.

Logic flow

The direction or pathway that a program's execution follows.

Condition checking

Assessing boolean expressions before executing actions.

Boolean condition

An expression that evaluates to true or false used in control statements.

Comparison of objects

How instances of classes are checked for equality or reference.

Memory citation

The reference to the memory location of an object.

Trace table

A table that records variable states at each iteration of a loop.

Control flow statements

Programming constructs that control the order of execution of untimed sequences.

Boolean logic

The branch of algebra where the values of variables are true and false.

Evaluation of boolean expressions

The process of determining the truth value of boolean statements.

Efficient coding

Writing code that minimizes unnecessary evaluations or memory usage.

AP Java subset

A simplified version of Java used for educational purposes in AP courses.

Code execution

The running of programmed instructions by a computer.

Arithmetic operators

Operators used for mathematical calculations in programming.

Boolean variables

Variables that can hold only true or false values.