Western Governors University (WGU) ITSW 2113 D278 Scripting and Programming Foundations Practice Exam

An infinite loop is defined as a loop that continues to execute indefinitely without an exit point, typically due to a condition that never evaluates to false. This typically happens when the logical condition that governs the loop is poorly constructed or when there are no statements within the loop that create a scenario in which the loop can terminate.

In programming, a well-designed loop should eventually meet a condition that allows it to stop executing. However, if the condition for terminating the loop is never met, whether because of an error in the logic itself or lack of any commands that would modify the terminating condition, the loop continues to run endlessly. This can lead to performance issues and unresponsive programs, as the program might consume resources without yielding control back to the user or a calling function.

Understanding infinite loops is crucial for debugging, as they can lead to serious problems in applications, and being able to identify their causes is an important skill in programming.