AP® Computer Science A glossary
Instance variable
Also called: field
Course: AP® Computer Science A Shows up in: Unit 3: Class Creation
An attribute declared in a class outside any method or constructor, whose value is unique to each object of the class.
Appears in the course and exam description (CED): 3.1.A.33.3.A.43.3.A.53.4.A.1
Instance variables define an object’s state. Each object has its own copy, so changing one object’s value does not change another’s. They are usually private, given initial values in the constructor, and default to 0, 0.0, false or null.
public class Plant
{
private String name; // instance variable
private int height; // instance variable
public Plant(String n, int h)
{
name = n;
height = h;
}
}