C++ Programming Basics Quiz

Study Notes

Variables represent storage locations in a computer's memory
Literals are constant values assigned to variables
Variables allow storing and working with data in the computer's memory
Programmers determine the correct number and type of variables needed for a program
Variables are defined to tell the compiler a variable's name and data type
Variable definition example: int number;
The int keyword specifies the variable will hold integer numbers only
A variable must be defined before it's used in a program
Variable definitions can appear at any point in a program
Assignment operator example: number = 5;
An assignment operator copies a value from the right side of an equal sign (=) to a variable on the left
Assignment to a variable doesn't show anything on the screen; instead, it stores a value in RAM
Printing a variable's value example: cout << "The value in number is " << number << endl;
This displays the contents of the variable number
Literals are constant values, which don't change during a program's run

An identifier is a programmer-defined name to represent program elements, like variables
Variable names are examples of identifiers
Choose your own variable names; avoid using C++ keywords
Identifiers must begin with a letter (a-z or A-Z) or an underscore (_)
After the first character, use letters, digits or underscores
Variable names should clearly indicate their use
Spaces are not allowed in variable names

Variables are classified by data type which determines the kind of information a variable can hold
Integer variables hold whole numbers only
If a program uses two integers, length and width, they could be defined separately like this: int length; int width;
Variables of the same data type can be defined on the same line: int length, width;
Defining more variables of the same data type on the same line: int speed, acceleration;