Glossary of Key Terms
Glossary of Key Terms
| Term | Definition |
| Argument | A value that is required by a command. For example, fd requires a number of units as its argument, and rt requires an angle. |
| Clearscreen (cs) | A command that erases all drawings from the graphics window and resets the turtle to the center (0, 0). |
| Commander Window | The lower portion of the MSW Logo screen where users type commands into a command line, view command history, and click an “Execute” button. |
| Coordinate System | The two-axis (x and y) plane used by the graphics window. The center, or origin, is (0, 0). |
| Drawing Window | The upper portion of the MSW Logo screen containing the turtle, where all graphics are drawn. |
| Edall | A button or command that brings up Logo’s built-in editor, used for writing procedures. |
| fill | A command that dumps a “bucket” of the current flood color at the turtle’s current location, filling an enclosed area. |
| forward (fd) | A command that moves the turtle forward by a specified number of units. |
| hideturtle (ht) | A command that makes the turtle disappear from the screen. This does not affect its ability to draw. |
| home | A command that returns the turtle to the center of the screen (0, 0). It may leave a trail of ink as it moves. |
| Iteration | The process of repeating a sequence of commands, which is often accomplished using the repeat command. |
| Logo | A simple and easy-to-learn programming language used for teaching programming concepts, particularly to children. |
| make | The command used to create a variable and assign it a value. |
| Nesting | The practice of placing a repeat loop inside another repeat loop. |
| pendown (pd) | A command that lowers the turtle’s pen, causing it to leave a trail of ink when it moves. |
| penup (pu) | A command that lifts the turtle’s pen, allowing it to move without leaving a trail of ink. |
| Procedure | A named collection of commands, encapsulated between to and end, that can be executed like a built-in command. Also called a subprogram. |
| random | A command that takes one argument and produces a random integer greater than or equal to 0 and less than the argument’s value. |
| repeat | A command used to execute a block of commands a specified number of times. |
| Reserved Word | A word in Logo (like to or end) that has a predefined meaning and cannot be used as a variable name. |
| right (rt) | A command that turns the turtle to its right by a specified number of degrees. |
| setfloodcolor | A command that sets the color used by the fill command. It takes an [r g b] value as an argument. |
| setpencolor | A command that sets the color of the turtle’s pen. It takes an [r g b] value as an argument. |
| setpensize | A command that sets the size (thickness) of the turtle’s pen. |
| setxy | A command that takes two arguments (x and y) and moves the turtle to that specific coordinate on the screen. |
| showturtle (st) | A command that makes the turtle visible on the screen. |
| String | A sequence of alpha-numeric characters. |
| Turtle | The triangle-shaped cursor in the center of the Drawing window that moves according to commands to create drawings. |
| Variable | The symbolic name for a memory location that can contain a value. |