Oxford, Cambridge and RSA (OCR) GCSE Computer Science Paper 2 Practice

A local variable is one that is declared within a specific function or block of code and can only be accessed and used within that same function or block. This means that local variables are not visible outside of their defining context, which helps to prevent accidental interference with variables in other functions or the global scope. This encapsulation is important for maintaining modularity and reducing errors in larger programs.

For instance, if a function defines a variable to hold a temporary value, that variable won't affect or be affected by variables outside of that function, thus allowing for safer and cleaner code.