Master the Language of Code

Decode complex jargon with simplified definitions, deep-dive technical explanations, and real-world code snippets.

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Recursion

Algorithms

Concept

Plain English

Imagine standing between two mirrors. You see an infinite hallway of yourself. Recursion is like that—a process that repeats itself by calling a smaller version of itself until it hits a wall (stopping point).

Technical Definition

A method of solving a computational problem where the solution depends on solutions to smaller instances of the same problem. It involves a base case to terminate execution and a recursive step.

factorial.js
function factorial(n) {
  // Base Case: The stopping point
  if (n === 0) {
    return 1;
  }
  
  // Recursive Step: The function calls itself
  return n * factorial(n - 1);
}

Big O Notation

CS Fundamentals

Performance

Plain English

A way to measure how "hard" a computer has to work as the task gets bigger. It tells you if your code will slow down drastically when handling 1 million users versus 10 users.

Technical Definition

Mathematical notation that describes the limiting behavior of a function when the argument tends towards a particular value or infinity. In CS, it classifies algorithms according to how their run time or space requirements grow as the input size grows.

Abstract data visualization
O(n) vs O(n²)

Linear vs Quadratic Growth

DOM

Web Dev

Structure

Plain English

The "Document Object Model" is basically a family tree of all the elements on a webpage. JavaScript uses this map to find and change things, like turning a button red or hiding a paragraph.

Technical Definition

A cross-platform and language-independent interface that treats an XML or HTML document as a tree structure wherein each node is an object representing a part of the document.

script.js
// Select an element from the DOM
const button = document.getElementById('myBtn');

// Manipulate the element
button.style.backgroundColor = 'blue';
button.innerText = 'Clicked!';