AP® Computer Science A glossary
Call stack
Also called: stack of calls
Course: AP® Computer Science A Shows up in: Unit 4: Data Collections
The list Java keeps of method calls that have started but not yet returned, each with its own parameters and local variables.
Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 4.16.A.2
Each time a method is called, Java adds it to the top of the call stack; when it returns, it is removed and the call below it continues. In recursion every waiting call keeps its own parameter values, which is why tracing tables list one row per call.
Example
// sumDigits(407) is waiting for sumDigits(40),
// which is waiting for sumDigits(4) (the base case).
// Each call has its own n: 407, 40 and 4.