Oxford, Cambridge and RSA (OCR) GCSE Computer Science Practice Exam

A local variable is a type of variable that is declared within a specific function or block of code and is only accessible within that scope. This means that the variable cannot be used or referenced outside of the function or block where it was defined. The restriction in access helps to prevent unintended interference with other parts of the program, as different functions can have local variables with the same name without conflicting with each other. This encapsulation is a key feature in programming, enabling better organization and modularity in code.

In contrast, global variables are accessible throughout the entire program, which can lead to issues with data integrity and debugging since any part of the code can modify their values. Static variables can also maintain their value across function calls but are still tied to the scope in which they are declared. Public variables are part of object-oriented programming and are accessible from outside the class they belong to, which is the opposite of the restricted nature of local variables.