Inner loop

Definition

An inner loop is a loop that exists within another loop, commonly referred to as the outer loop. The inner loop completes all its iterations for each iteration of the outer loop.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Inner loops execute completely for each single iteration of the outer loop.
2. The total number of iterations in nested loops is the product of iterations of both loops.
3. Inner loops can access and utilize variables from their own scope as well as from their enclosing outer loops.
4. Performance can be significantly impacted by nested loops, especially if both loops have high iteration counts.
5. Nested loops are crucial for working with multi-dimensional data structures such as matrices.

Review Questions

• What happens to the inner loop when the outer loop runs multiple iterations?
• How does an inner loop differ in scope and execution compared to an outer loop?
• Why might nested loops affect performance more than single-level loops?

Related terms

Outer Loop:

A loop that contains another (inner) loop within its body.

Iteration:

A single pass through the set of instructions in a loop.

Scope:

The region or context in which a variable or function is defined and accessible.