Answer:

Is this OK? Sure. The caller has sent the value 7000 to the method. Inside the method, that value is held in the parameter amount. At the end of the method, the statement

amount = 0;

puts a zero into the parameter, but does not affect anything in main()

Local Variables

A local variable is a variable that is declared inside of the body of a method. It can be seen only by the statements that follow its declaration inside of that method.

The scope of a local variable starts where it is declared and ends at the end of the block that it is in. Recall that a block is a group of statements inside of braces, {}.

For example, charge of processCheck is a local variable:

class CheckingAccount
{
  . . . .
  private int    balance;


  public void processCheck( int  amount  )
  {              
    int charge;    // scope of charge starts here     

    incrementUse();
    if ( balance < 100000 )
      charge = 15; 
    else
      charge = 0;

    balance =  balance -  amount  - charge  ; // scope of charge ends here
  }

}

The local variable charge is used to hold a temporary value while something is being calculated. Local variables are not used to hold the permanent values of an object's state. They have a value only during the brief amount of time that a method is active.

QUESTION 9:

Is the scope of a local variable always the entire body of a method?