Question

Bundling together an object's data and procedures is called _________.

Short answer

Answer: Encapsulation

Step-by-step solution

Identify the Term

In object-oriented programming, the concept of bundling together an object's data and procedures is called "Encapsulation". Therefore, the correct answer is: Encapsulation

Key concepts

Object-Oriented Programming

Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of "objects." These objects can contain both data, in the form of fields (often known as attributes or properties), and code, in the form of procedures (commonly known as methods or functions). The key idea of OOP is to mimic real-world entities. This makes it easier to design complex systems. The main principles of OOP include:

• Encapsulation: Encapsulating data and methods in objects.
• Inheritance: Creating new classes from existing ones to reuse attributes and behaviors.
• Polymorphism: Allowing objects to be treated as instances of different classes.
• Abstraction: Hiding complex implementation details and showing only necessary features.

Understanding these principles helps in creating code that is more modular, flexible, and easier to manage.

Data Bundling

Data bundling, often referred to as encapsulation in the context of programming, is a technique used to wrap the data (attributes) and the functions (methods) that operate on the data into a single unit or class. This is fundamental to OOP because it ensures that an object keeps its state and behavior together. Some benefits of data bundling include:

• Data hiding: Protects the data from being accessed directly from outside the class.
• Improved modularity: Code becomes self-contained, making it easier to maintain and modify.
• Encourages the reusability of code: Objects can be reused across different programs and systems.

Data bundling helps encapsulate and organize code, significantly contributing to cleaner and more manageable coding practices.

Procedures in Programming

Procedures, often referred to as functions or methods, are blocks of code designed to perform a specific task or operation. In OOP, procedures are encapsulated within objects, enabling them to operate on the object's data. Key purposes of procedures in programming include:

• Code reusability: Procedures can be called multiple times, reducing redundancy.
• Logical organization: Breaks the program into significant chunks, making it easier to understand.
• Increases maintainability: Changes can be made in one location rather than throughout the entire codebase.

Procedures play a fundamental role in structuring programs, facilitating the division of labor in large systems by allowing specific tasks to be modularized and handled independently.