Eager Evaluation
Eager evaluation is a programming language evaluation strategy where expressions are computed as soon as they are bound to variables, rather than being delayed until their results are actually needed. This is the default behavior in most mainstream programming languages like Python, Java, and C++, where function arguments are evaluated before the function is called. It contrasts with lazy evaluation, which defers computation until the value is required.
Developers should understand eager evaluation because it's the standard evaluation model in languages like Python, Java, and C++, making it essential for performance optimization, debugging, and predictable program behavior. It's particularly useful in scenarios where immediate computation is beneficial, such as in real-time systems, error checking (since errors occur early), and when working with side effects that need to happen at specific times. Learning this helps in choosing the right evaluation strategy for tasks like data processing or resource management.