Explain the concept of "hoisting" in JavaScript.

@barrett 

In JavaScript, hoisting is a term used to describe how variables and function declarations are processed during the compilation phase. Hoisting refers to the behavior of moving variable and function declarations to the top of their respective scopes.

When JavaScript code is executed, it is first compiled. During the compilation phase, the JavaScript engine creates a variable and function declaration table (also called the "scope chain") for the current execution context. The engine scans the code and adds all variable and function declarations to the table, regardless of where they are defined in the code.

This means that even if a variable or function is declared at the bottom of a script or inside a block, it will be moved to the top of its respective scope during the compilation phase. This allows you to use a variable or function before it is declared in your code.

However, it's important to note that only the declarations are hoisted, not the assignments or initializations. For example, if you declare a variable and then later assign it a value, the assignment will not be hoisted and will still happen in the order it was written in the code.

It's also worth mentioning that hoisting only applies to functions declared using the function keyword or function expressions, and not to arrow functions or class declarations.

In summary, hoisting in JavaScript is a process where variable and function declarations are moved to the top of their respective scopes during the compilation phase, allowing you to use them before they are declared in your code.