Method
Definition
A method is a named sequence of instructions that can be called or invoked to perform a specific task or action. Methods are used for code reusability, organization, and abstraction.
Analogy
Imagine you have a recipe book with different cooking methods such as baking, frying, or grilling. Each method has step-by-step instructions for preparing specific dishes. Similarly, methods in programming contain sets of instructions that can be reused across different parts of your program.
Related terms
Parameter: A parameter is an input variable passed into a method when it is called. It allows data to be passed from one part of the program to another.
Return Type: The return type specifies the type of value that will be returned by a method after it completes its execution.
Void Method: A void method does not return any value after execution; it performs certain actions but does not produce an output.
"Method" appears in:
Study guides (3)
Additional resources (1)
Practice Questions (20+)
- Which access level makes a variable, class, or method available only to its own class?
- What access level makes a variable, method, or class only accessible by any subclass or class within the same package?
- Consider the following method: public void printPowersOfTwo(int n) { for (int i = 0; i <= n; i++) { int power = (int) Math.pow(2, i); System.out.print(power + " "); } } Assume that the method printPowersOfTwo(5) appears in a method in the same class. What is printed as a result of the method call?
- Consider the following method: public void printVowels(String str) { str = str.toLowerCase(); for (int i = 0; i < str.length(); i++) { char ch = str.charAt(i); if (ch == 'a' || ch == 'e' || ch == 'i' || ch == 'o' || ch == 'u') { System.out.print(ch + " "); } } } Assume that the method printVowels("OpenAI") appears in a method in the same class. What is printed as a result of the method call?
- Consider the following method: public static boolean isPalindrome(String word) { int length = word.length(); for (int i = 0; i < length / 2; i++) { if (word.charAt(i) != word.charAt(length - 1 - i)) { return false; } } return true; } Assume that the following code segment appears in a class: boolean result = isPalindrome("racecar"); System.out.println("Is 'racecar' a palindrome? " + result); What is printed as a result of executing the code segment?
- Which method is used to convert a Double object to its primitive double value?
- Which method of the Object class is used to compare two objects for equality?
- "Given the block of code below, answer the following question: ```java class Shape { // constructor not shown public void draw() { System.out.println("Drawing a shape"); } } class Circle extends Shape { // constructor not shown public void draw() { System.out.println("Drawing a circle"); super.draw(); } } ``` Question: Consider the code above. If we create an object of the Circle class and call the `draw()` method on that object, what will be the output?
- If we don’t want our subclass method to do anything different from the superclass's implementation of that method, what should we do?
- Which of the following correctly calls a superclass method in a subclass?
- If a method of a superclass is overridden in the subclass, which method is called by the line "methodName();" in the subclass?
- Consider the code below. If we create an object of the Child class and call the `prinMessaget()` method on that object, what will be the output? ```java class Parent { void printMessage() { System.out.println("Hello from Parent"); } } class Child extends Parent { void printMessage() { super.printMessage(); System.out.println("Hello from Child"); } } ```
- When a subclass defines a method with the same name, return type, and parameters as a method in its superclass, it is an example of:
- Given the block of code below, answer the following question: ```java class Animal { // constructor not shown } class Dog extends Animal { // constructor not shown public void makeSound() { System.out.println("Woof! Woof!"); } } ``` Question: Consider the code above. If we create an object of the `Dog` class and call the `makeSound()` method on that object, what will be outputted?
- What happens when an object is passed as a parameter to a method in Java?
- What happens if a method is declared with a return type but does not contain a return statement?
- Which of the following names for a method that modifies a boolean attribute named "isFlag" follows the common naming convention for mutator methods?
- How many parameters does the method with header "public void doSomething (double a, double b, int c, boolean flag, String text)" have?
- What happens when a primitive value is passed as a parameter to a method in Java?
- If a local variable and a global variable have the same name in a method, which one takes precedence?
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