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92 Cards in this Set

  • Front
  • Back
Program
A set of instructions that tells the computer what to do
Elegant programming
More than telling a computer what to do. Elegant programming is a way to tell another human being what you want the computer to do.
Documentation
Extra comments in the program, web pages for referance, or word document included in order to explain the program better to others.
Sequential processing
A list of instructions (like a recipe: "Beat eggs; mix in flour, etc)
Conditional execution
"Ifs" (as in If it is raining: wear an umbrella)
"looping" or "iteration"
Repeating behavior (stomp your foot five times, while there are cookies on the plate keep eating cookies)
Reductionism

also known as

problem decomposition or stepwise refinement or top-down design
Breaking things (actions) up into smaller pieces (The way to clean the house is to start in the kitchen, then the bathroom, then the three bedrooms one at a time).
Function
A question asked in computer programming
Calling a function
Asking a question to compute a result.
Designing a program
Planning how to write a program.
Flowcharts
A visual system constructed using a basic collection of symbols. A word or phrase written inside a symbol can give some details about the represented action.
Terminal
A flowchart symbol that represents the beginning or ending of a complete program or a logical piece of a larger program.

(Terminal symbols usually: Start, begin, end, stop, return, etc)
Input/Output
A flowchart symbol that represents an action where the user of the program is being asked for information (input) or when the program displays a result (output).

(in/out words include: Read..., print..., write..., etc)
Processing
A flowchart symbol that is used to illustrate any mathematical operation (addition subtraction, multiplication, and division) or the execution of a built-in instruction or statement.
Call
In a program that has been broken down into many pieces, one piece of that program may call on another piece to preform a task. A call symbol represents the action of one piece of a program calling another piece of the program.
Decision
A flowchart symbol that represents an action where a decision is to be made. The outcome will be true or false (Boolean value). The words within a decision symbol express the condition that is being evaluated.
Object-oriented programming
?
Virtual world
A video game or simulation implemented in 3D.
3D models
A model that tells the program "how" to create a new object within a scene. Instructions on how to draw the object, what color is should be, what parts it should have, size, etc.
Six degrees of freedom
Objects in “Alice” can move in six directions up, right, left, back, down, and forward.
Orientation
Six degrees of freedom for Alice objects.
Bounding box
Highlights the selected object.
Center
A feature of each object in "Alice" that isnt callculated but selected by the graphic artist when the 3D model is created. The center is at the center of the objects bounding box.
Center of mass
?
Pivot
Spin
Distance
is measured from the center of the object.
Position
The center of the object is regarded as it's position in the world.
Properties
A panel in the detail section at the lower left
Details
A group of things like "Properties, Methods and Functions" for an object.
Render
Creating an animation
User
The person viewing the animation.
Instruction
an action to be performed. methods and their arguments are components of an instructions.
Read a scenario
A description of the story, game, or simulation usually called the "problem statement"
4 steps to writing a program
1. Read a Scenario
2. Design a Storyboard
3. Implement
4. Test
Design a Storyboard
Decide how to go about creating the animation
Implement
Writing the Program Code
Test
Running the Animation to Observe if it works
Algorithmic
Step by Step structure, a list of actions to preform a task or solve a problem.
Pseudo-code
A loose version of the instructions that will eventually become program code.
Syntax
Statement Structure and Punctuation.
Scenario (or Requirements Specification)
A problem or task statement that describes the overall animation in terms of what problem is to be solved or what lesson is to be taught.
What answers does a Scenario provide?
1. What story is to be told?
2. What objects are needed?
3. What actions are to take place?
Visual Storyboard
breaks down the scenario into a sequence of major scenes with transitions between scenes.
Snapshot
A representation of a single sketch within a scene (state) in the animation
Description
Within the sketches of scenes for a scenario the description tells what action is occurring (if sound is used then what sounds and the same for text)
Textual Storyboards
A "to do list" that allows a planned structure for writing program code. Is called an algorithm and is close to code so is called pseudo-code.
After designing a storyboard
1. Does the action flow from scene to scene as the story unfolds?
2. Do any transitions need to be added to blend one scene to the next?
3. Did you overlook some essential part of the story?
4. Is there something about the story that should be changed?
Method
A segment of program code (instructions) that defines how to perform a specific task.
Control Statements
language used to tell Alice how to carry out the instructions in a program.
Do in order
Do a sequence of actions one by one.
Arguments
an item of information that must be supplied so Alice can execute the action.

(includes Duration, Style and asSeenBy)
Do together
Two or more things occurring at once within a program.
Nesting
One program statement is written inside another.
Trial and error
Trying something until it works.
Bug
An error in a computer program
At Runtime
The Technical term for when an animation is running
Comments
Not instructions but good "style" and helpful for other people who may look at your program. Created by clicking the // tile into a program.
Orientation
The object's direction it is facing.
Egocentric
The direction the object moves is relative to its own orientation.
Translational
Has six possible directions (up, down, left, right, forward, backwards.
Rotational
Turn and Roll methods.
Pivot point
A joint connection
Vehicle
A special property that lets you synchronize the movement of two subjects.
Control Structures
A statement that controls the order and execution of a block of instructions.

Do in order and Do together, If/Else and loop
Conditional Execution
If/Else.

Involves making a decision based on a current condition in the world.
Repetition
Looping
Repeats the execution of a section of program code a specific number of times.
Expressions
a math operation on numbers or other kinds of values
built in functions
functions that come with alice for specific purposes.
5 built-in function categories
Proximity: how close the object is to some other object in the world
Size: Dimentions such as height width and depth and how these compare to the dimensions of another object in the world
Spatial relation: Orientation compared to another object in the world.
Point of view: Position in the world
Other: miscellaneous items such as the name of a subpart of an object.
Value
The answer to questions about properties.
Four types of Values
Number
Boolen Value (true False)
String
Object (a spider robot)
collision
when two object run into one another.
How to avoid a collision
subtract half one objects width from half another object's width.
Relational Operators
==, ! =,>,>=,<,<= uses those and the result is true or false.
Class
A particular kind of object.

In alice they are 3D models provided in the gallery.

Names of classes come in capital letters.
instantiating the class
when an object is created and displayed.

called so because an object is an instance of that class.
Primitive methods
Easy instructions Alice comes with (move, turn, turn to face, etc).
Abstraction
Using methods to take a collection of instructions and make it like one instruction
Parameter
acts like a basket to review information that we send to a method and then make specifications.
Used to communicate with methods
world-level methods
methods that reference more than one object
class level methods
methods that define behaviors for individual objects.
call
causes alice to animate the instructions in the method called.

Also called invoking a method.
Stepwise Refinement
breaking the overall task down into abstract tasks and then break each task down into smaller pieces and then define the steps in each piece.
inheritance
class level methods that are inherited in new classes.
implementation strategy diagram
an organizational chart (not a flowchart) that visually illustrates how methods will be used for creating a program.
placeholder
A parameter can be thought of as one.
Saving out
Saving an object to create a new class.
Event
Something that happens.

In response an action or sequence of actions is carried out.
Event handling method
an event that is linked to the responding method.
incremental development
write a method, test it, write a method, test it until program is complete.
All events are world level
Alice is listening for an event to happen at all times.
Driver
A method that does very little other than organizing the calls to other methods.