VCE Software Development U4O1 Definitions Worksheet: Code repositories, APIs, libraries and AI assistants (Modules 115–124)
Name:
Date:
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Key terms
Write what each term means, in your own words.
1
git branch
2
library
3
import random
4
import math
5
from datetime import datetime
6
pip install requests
7
API
8
requests.get(url)
9
response.json()
10
response.status_code
Answer Key
VCE Software Development U4O1 · Modules 115–124 · Student wording will vary for definitions
1git branch — Creates a branch, a separate line of development that you work on safely and later combine into the main branch with git merge.
2library — A collection of ready-made code you can reuse. The standard library comes with Python; third-party libraries are made by others and must be installed separately (e.g. with pip).
3import random — Gives your program the random module. Then random.randint(1, 6) gives a random whole number from 1 to 6, and random.choice(my_list) picks a random item from a list.
4import math — Loads Python's math module, giving you extras like math.sqrt(), math.pi, math.ceil() and math.floor() that basic operators don't have. Call them with the math. prefix.
5from datetime import datetime — Brings in the datetime tool so Python can get the current date and time with datetime.now(), format it with strftime, and subtract two dates to find a duration.
6pip install requests — A terminal command that uses pip to download a third-party library (here requests) so a Python program can then import it. Add ==2.31.0 after the name to pick a version.
7API — An application programming interface: a defined set of requests and responses that lets one program use the features or data of another program.
8requests.get(url) — Sends a request to a web API endpoint at the given URL and returns a response object. Needs import requests. Check response.status_code (200 means success) before using the data.
9response.json() — Converts the JSON text of an API response into Python dictionaries and lists, so you can read values by key, e.g. data['name'], or loop over a list of results.
10response.status_code — Check a response's status code (200 OK, 404 not found) and wrap requests.get() in try/except so a failed API call shows a friendly message, not a crash.