Which statement best defines a variable?

• A. A fixed value that never changes.
• B. A named location in RAM used to store values while the program is running.
• C. A type of data storage device.
• D. A function that returns a value.

Answer: (A)

Variables are named storage locations in a computer’s memory that hold values which can change while a program is running. They let the program remember data and update it as computations proceed. Unlike a fixed value, a variable’s content can vary, holding different numbers, text, or truth values over time. The other statements describe a constant, a hardware storage device, or a function, none of which capture the idea of a changeable place in memory used by a running program. For example, a counter that increases as a user interacts with a program uses a variable to store the current count.