Procedural programming

/prəˈsidʒərəl ˈproʊɡræmɪŋ/ noun phrase

Definition

A programming paradigm that uses procedures or functions to perform operations on data, following a top-down approach. Programs are structured as a sequence of function calls that execute in order.

Etymology

From Latin 'procedere' meaning to go forward or advance, reflecting the step-by-step nature of execution. This paradigm dominated early programming languages like FORTRAN and COBOL in the 1950s-60s.

Kelly Says

Procedural programming is like following a detailed recipe where you complete each step in order - it's the most intuitive way humans think about solving problems! Most beginners naturally write procedural code because it matches how we give instructions in everyday life.

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