Final answer:
To determine if Node.js is installed on a Mac, open Terminal and type 'node -v'. If installed, the Node.js version number will be displayed. If not, an error message will appear indicating that Node.js is not present.
Step-by-step explanation:
To check if Node.js is installed on a Mac, one needs to access the Terminal, which is the command-line interface. Begin by opening the Terminal application. It can usually be found in the Utilities folder, which is located inside the Applications folder. Once you have the Terminal open, type the following command and press Enter:
node -v
This command checks the version of Node.js that is currently installed on your system. If Node.js is installed, you will see the version number displayed. For example, it might read something like:
v14.16.0
If Node.js is installed, the version number will provide an indication of the specific release you're using, which is important for compatibility and functionality reasons.
If you do not receive a version number and instead get a message such as "command not found" or "No such file or directory", this indicates that Node.js is not installed on your system. In such a case, you can go to the official Node.js website and follow the installation instructions for macOS.
It's also worth noting that Node.js comes with npm (node package manager), which is a tool that facilitates the management of JavaScript packages. You can check for npm in a similar fashion by typing:
npm -v