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Definition of Variable

By David Bolton, About.com

Definition: A variable is a way of referring to a memory location used in a computer program. This memory location holds values- perhaps numbers or text or more complicated types of data like a payroll record.

Operating Systems load programs into different parts of RAM so there is no way of knowing exactly which memory location will hold a particular variable before the program is run. By giving a variable a symbolic name like "employee_payroll_id" the compiler or interpreter can always work out where to store the variable in memory.

Glossary:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Examples: This variable holds the name and address of the employee.

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