loops Key Terms

• accumulator
  • A variable used in a loop to add up or accumulate a result.
• counter
  • A variable used in a loop to count the number of times something happened. We initialize a counter to zero and then increment the counter each time we want to “count” something.
• decrement
  • An update that decreases the value of a variable.
• initialize
  • An assignment that gives an initial value to a variable that will be updated.
• increment
  • An update that increases the value of a variable (often by one).
• infinite loop
  • A loop in which the terminating condition is never satisfied or for which there is no terminating condition.
• iteration
  • Repeated execution of a set of statements using either a function that calls itself or a loop.