What is the term for a collection of statements that perform a specific task?

The term for a collection of statements that perform a specific task is referred to as a function or method. Functions are fundamental constructs in programming that encapsulate a sequence of instructions designed to perform a particular operation. This allows for the organization of code into reusable blocks, enabling better structure, readability, and maintainability in software development.

While functions may have different terminologies or variations (like methods in object-oriented programming), the underlying concept remains the same: they encapsulate logic that can be invoked whenever that specific task needs to be performed. This promotes the DRY principle (Don't Repeat Yourself) by allowing developers to call the function multiple times without needing to duplicate code.

In contrast, a module typically refers to a file or library that contains multiple functions, classes, or procedures, encapsulating them for easier management and organization. A class represents a blueprint for creating objects in object-oriented programming, encompassing attributes and methods, but is not itself simply a collection of statements designated for a single task. Lastly, a procedure is similar to a function in that it groups statements, but it typically does not return a value, which distinguishes it from what is typically considered a function or method in many programming languages.