Question

A member function of a class that is not implemented is called a(n) _________ function.

Short answer

Answer: Pure virtual function

Step-by-step solution

Understanding Classes and Member Functions

In object-oriented programming, a class is a blueprint for creating objects. Objects are instances of a class, and they have attributes and methods (functions) associated with them. Member functions are methods that belong to a class and operate on the attributes (data members) of the class. For example, in a `Person` class, there might be member functions like `get_name()` or `get_age()`.

Identify the Term for an Unimplemented Function

When defining a class, sometimes it is useful to declare a member function without providing its implementation. This means that the function can be part of the class interface, but its implementation is left for derived classes (derived classes are classes that inherit from the base class). A member function that does not have an implementation is called a(n) "pure virtual" function. So, the answer to the exercise is: A member function of a class that is not implemented is called a(n) "pure virtual" function.