Android Development Java Programming Syllabus

Java Programming syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Java Programming in Android Development, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Introduction to Java

   3 topics

   • History of Java
     • Origins
     • Evolution
     • Java Versions
   • Java Features
     • Object-Oriented
     • Platform Independent
     • Simple and Secure
     • Robust and Multithreaded
     • High Performance
   • Java Environment Setup
     • Download and Install JDK
     • Setting up IDE (Eclipse, IntelliJ, etc.)
     • Configuring Environment Variables
2. 2

   Basic Syntax

   5 topics

   • Hello World Program
     • Structure of a Java Program
     • Main Method
     • Compiling and Running a Java Program
   • Data Types
     • Primitive Data Types
     • Non-Primitive Data Types
   • Variables
     • Declaration and Initialization
     • Scope of Variables
     • Type Casting
   • Operators
     • Arithmetic Operators
     • Relational Operators
     • Logical Operators
     • Assignment Operators
     • Bitwise Operators
   • Control Statements
     • If-Else
     • Switch
     • Loops (For, While, Do-While)
3. 3

   Object-Oriented Programming

   5 topics

   • Classes and Objects
     • Class Definition
     • Creating Objects
     • Constructors
     • this Keyword
   • Inheritance
     • Types of Inheritance
     • super Keyword
     • Method Overriding
   • Polymorphism
     • Compile-time Polymorphism
     • Runtime Polymorphism
     • Method Overloading
   • Abstraction
     • Abstract Classes
     • Interfaces
   • Encapsulation
     • Access Modifiers
     • Getters and Setters
4. 4

   Advanced Java Concepts

   6 topics

   • Exception Handling
     • Try-Catch Block
     • Finally Block
     • Throw and Throws
     • Custom Exceptions
   • Collections Framework
     • List
     • Set
     • Map
     • Queue
     • Iterator
   • Generics
     • Introduction to Generics
     • Generic Classes
     • Generic Methods
     • Bounded Types
   • Multithreading
     • Thread Class
     • Runnable Interface
     • Synchronization
     • Inter-thread Communication
     • Thread Pool
   • I/O Streams
     • Byte Streams
     • Character Streams
     • Buffered Streams
     • File Handling
   • Lambda Expressions
     • Syntax
     • Functional Interfaces
     • Method References
     • Stream API
5. 5

   Java Development Tools

   3 topics

   • Maven
     • Introduction to Maven
     • POM.xml
     • Dependencies
     • Build Lifecycle
   • JUnit
     • Writing Test Cases
     • Annotations
     • Assertions
     • Test Suites
   • Logging
     • Log4j
     • SLF4J
     • Logging Levels

Java Programming flashcards for Android Development

23 of 50 cards from the Java Programming deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. Who developed Java, in what year was it released, and what was its original name?

   Java was developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems, released in 1995. Its original name was Oak (later renamed Java).

2. What was Java's original design slogan that captures its portability goal?

   "Write Once, Run Anywhere" (WORA) — compiled Java bytecode runs on any platform with a JVM.

3. List at least six core features (buzzwords) of Java.

   Simple, Object-Oriented, Platform-Independent, Secure, Robust, Multithreaded, Portable, High-Performance (via JIT), Distributed, and Dynamic.

4. Why is Java called platform-independent, and what makes it not fully so?

   Java source compiles to platform-neutral bytecode that any JVM can run (platform-independent). However, the JVM itself is platform-dependent, so Java is "platform-independent at the language/bytecode level, platform-dependent at the JVM level."

5. What is the difference between JDK, JRE, and JVM?

   JVM (Java Virtual Machine) executes bytecode. JRE (Java Runtime Environment) = JVM + core libraries needed to run programs. JDK (Java Development Kit) = JRE + development tools (compiler javac, debugger, etc.).

6. What is bytecode, and which file extension holds it?

   Bytecode is the intermediate, platform-neutral instruction set produced by the Java compiler. It is stored in .class files and executed by the JVM.

7. What are the roles of the javac and java commands?

   javac compiles .java source files into .class bytecode files. java launches the JVM to run a compiled .class file's main method.

8. Which environment variables are typically configured to set up Java, and what do they do?

   JAVA_HOME points to the JDK installation directory. PATH is extended to include the JDK's bin folder so javac and java run from any terminal. (CLASSPATH optionally locates class/JAR files.)

9. Write a minimal Java "Hello World" program.

   public class HelloWorld { public static void main(String[] args) { System.out.println("Hello, World!"); } }

10. In the main method signature public static void main(String[] args), what does each keyword mean?

    public = accessible by the JVM; static = callable without an object; void = returns nothing; main = entry-point name; String[] args = command-line arguments array.

11. What are the eight primitive data types in Java, with their sizes?

    byte (8-bit), short (16-bit), int (32-bit), long (64-bit), float (32-bit), double (64-bit), char (16-bit Unicode), boolean (1 bit logically, true/false).

12. What is the range of the int primitive type in Java?

    $-2^{31}$ to $2^{31}-1$, i.e. $-2{,}147{,}483{,}648$ to $2{,}147{,}483{,}647$.

13. What is the difference between a primitive type and a reference type in Java?

    Primitives store the actual value directly (e.g. int, char). Reference types store a reference (address) to an object on the heap (e.g. String, arrays, class instances). Primitives cannot be null; references can.

14. What is autoboxing and unboxing in Java?

    Autoboxing is automatic conversion of a primitive to its wrapper object (int → Integer). Unboxing is the reverse (Integer → int). It happens implicitly, e.g. Integer x = 5; int y = x;

15. What is the difference between a local variable, an instance variable, and a static variable?

    Local: declared inside a method/block, no default value, scope limited to that block. Instance: declared in a class per-object, gets default values. Static: declared with static, shared across all instances of the class.

16. What default value is assigned to an uninitialized instance int, boolean, and object reference?

    int defaults to 0, boolean defaults to false, and an object reference defaults to null.

17. What is the difference between the == operator and the .equals() method?

    == compares references (whether two variables point to the same object) or primitive values. .equals() compares logical/content equality as defined by the class (e.g. String content).

18. List the categories of operators in Java.

    Arithmetic (+ - * / %), Relational (< > <= >= == !=), Logical (&& || !), Bitwise (& | ^ ~ << >> >>>), Assignment (= += etc.), Unary (++ -- + - !), and Ternary (?:).

19. What is the difference between the >> and >>> operators in Java?

    >> is the signed (arithmetic) right shift; it preserves the sign bit. >>> is the unsigned (logical) right shift; it fills the left with 0 regardless of sign.

20. Evaluate the difference between prefix (++i) and postfix (i++) increment.

    ++i increments first, then yields the new value. i++ yields the current value first, then increments. E.g. if $i=5$: $j = i{+}{+}$ gives $j=5$; $j = {+}{+}i$ gives $j=6$.

21. What is the ternary conditional operator, and give its syntax?

    A shorthand for if-else that returns a value: condition ? valueIfTrue : valueIfFalse. Example: int max = (a > b) ? a : b;

22. What is the difference between & and && (and between | and ||)?

    & and | are non-short-circuit (always evaluate both operands, also work bitwise). && and || are short-circuit logical operators that skip the right operand when the result is already determined.

23. List the looping constructs available in Java.

    for loop, enhanced for-each loop, while loop, and do-while loop (do-while executes the body at least once before checking the condition).

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