1.2.4 Types of programming language - b + e DONE

Question 1

What is a programming paradigm?

Answer 1

Programming paradigms are established conventions and practices that dictate how computer programs are structured and developed.

Question 2

Define a low-level language

Answer 2

A low-level language is a type of computer language that is closely aligned with the basic instructions that a computer’s hardware understands.

Question 3

What are the features of low-level languages?

Answer 3

• They allow programmers to work directly with the hardware
• They can be more complex
• Less flexible than high-level languages.

Question 4

Define a high-level language

Answer 4

A high-level programming language is a programming language that uses English-like words, making it easier for humans to read, write and understand.

Question 5

What are the features of high-level languages?

Answer 5

• They are portable because they are independent of specific hardware
• They must be translated into machine code using a compiler or interpreter
• They provide abstraction from hardware details, include built-in libraries and advanced features

Question 6

Describe procedural programming languages

Answer 6

Languages that carry out code a sequence of instructions step-by-step and organise code into reusable blocks (procedures) which perform specific tasks.

Question 7

What are the advantages of procedural programming languages?

Answer 7

• Calling subroutines reduces the amount of repeated code
• Large programs can be worked on by a team of programmers who develop individual subroutines concurrently
• Simple to implement
• Suited to problems that can easily be expressed as a series of instructions using the sequence, selection, iteration and recursion constructs
• Can be applied to a wide range of problems
• Relatively easy to write and interpret

Question 8

What are the disadvantages of procedural programming languages?

Answer 8

• Not possible to solve all problems with these languages and can be inefficient to do so
  -It struggles when attempted to be used to reuse classes or make them inherit from one another.

Question 9

How are procedural languages used?

Answer 9

They are commonly used for software development, data processing and teaching programming fundamentals as they emphasise logical structure and modular design.

Question 10

Describe object oriented programming languages

Answer 10

They organise code around objects, which combine data (attributes) and behaviour (methods) into reusable units.

Question 11

Describe how classes are used in Object Oriented programming Languages

Answer 11

Classes are templates from which objects are created. They define both attributes and methods.

Question 12

How do you define a class in Python?

Answer 12

e.g.
class Dog:
def __init__(self, name,
breed, height, weight):
self.name = name
self.breed = breed
self.height = height
self.weight = weight

self.__variable is used to indicate that the variable is private

Question 13

What is the difference between private and public attributes and methods?

Answer 13

If an attribute/method is public it can be called by a class. If it’s private it can only be called by the current class.

Question 14

What is a getter?

Answer 14

A method which retrieves the value of a given attribute

Question 15

What is a setter?

Answer 15

A method that sets the value of a given attribute

Question 16

Describe how Encapsulation is used in Object Oriented Programming Languages

Answer 16

Classes can be encapsulated by making attributes private and providing public access methods. This allows for the private attributes to only be able to be edited by public methods. This allows data to be protected.

Question 17

Describe how get and set methods are used to access private attributes

Answer 17

Getters and setters are used to make sure attributes can’t be directly accessed and edited by users.

Question 18

What is a constructor?

Answer 18

It allows a new object to be created

Question 19

Describe inheritance in Object Oriented programming

Answer 19

It enables a child class to be created which can reuse or extend the classes of the parent class. This promotes the reuse of code.

Question 20

Describe polymorphism in Object Oriented Programming

Answer 20

It means that objects can behave differently depending on their class​. This can result in the same methods producing different outputs.

Question 21

Describe overriding as a form of polymorphism

Answer 21

Redefining a method within a subclass and altering the code so that it functions differently and produces a different output.

Question 22

Describe overloading as a form of polymorphism

Answer 22

Passing different parameters into a method.

Question 23

What are the advantages of Object Oriented Programming?

Answer 23

-It has an advantage in security as encapsulation protects attributes from being directly accessed.
-It is efficient as classes can be reused and inherit from one another.
-The separation of components into classes make programs easy to update and maintain
-It is flexible due to polymorphism

Question 24

What are the disadvantages of Object Oriented programming?

Answer 24

• It is not suited to problems where few components are reused as it may result in a longer and more inefficient program.
• Generally unsuitable for smaller problems
• Requires an alternative style of thinking and advanced planning to determine how a problem will be broken down into classes.