Imperative programming

A programming paradigm in which programs specify sequences of commands that change a computer’s state. Its defining focus is on how computation proceeds through operations and state updates.

Program state: The values held by a program at a particular point during execution. Imperative commands work by changing the program’s state.
Variable (computer science): A named reference to a value or storage location used by a program. Variables give imperative commands locations whose contents can change.
Declarative programming: A programming paradigm that describes desired results or relationships rather than explicit command sequences. It contrasts with imperative code by emphasizing what should hold over how to update state.
C (programming language): A general-purpose programming language with explicit control flow and direct access to memory operations. C exposes imperative state changes close to the machine.
Assembly language: A low-level programming language whose instructions correspond closely to a processor’s machine instructions. Assembly makes imperative execution explicit at the level of individual machine operations.
Assignment statement: A statement that stores a value in a variable or other location. Assignment is a basic way imperative commands update state.
Expression (computer science): A syntactic unit that evaluates to a value. Expressions supply values that commands can assign, test, or pass.
Functional programming: A programming paradigm centered on function evaluation, immutable values, and limited side effects. Its preference for immutable data differs from imperative state updates.
Java (programming language): A general-purpose, class-based programming language designed to run on the Java Virtual Machine. Java commonly expresses computation as sequences of statements and object updates.
ENIAC: An early electronic general-purpose computer, first operational in 1945, programmed initially through switches and cables. Its early programming practices illustrate the physical origins of sequential computation.

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