Vocabulary

Understand the term. Connect the concept.

A practical dictionary of 512 AI, machine learning, mathematics, and programming terms from HerbDev’s AI Vocabulary app. Start with a definition, explore an example, then follow the concepts behind it.

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Side Effect

Functions & Programming Concepts · Level 2 of 5

Side Effect

An observable change beyond a function's returned value.

Mutating shared state, writing files, and sending messages are common examples.

Example

A routine updates a global counter when called.

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Audio transcript

Side Effect. An observable change beyond a function's returned value. Mutating shared state, writing files, and sending messages are common examples. For example: A routine updates a global counter when called.

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This helps you distinguish a computation’s contract, inputs, outputs, and behavior.

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Function

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