AP Computer Science Principles Exam Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture notes, designed to aid in exam preparation.

Computing Innovation

Uses a computer program to take in data, transform data, and output data.

Collaboration in Programming

Occurs in planning, testing, or designing, and allows for exchange of ideas, multiple perspectives, and clarification of misconceptions.

Pair Programming

Two programmers develop software side-by-side at one computer on the same algorithm.

User Interface

Inputs and outputs that allow a user to interact with a piece of software; should have meaningful names.

Camel Case

A naming convention where words are concatenated, and each word after the first starts with a capital letter (e.g., stopButton).

Input

Data that is sent to a computer for processing.

Output

Data sent from a program to a device.

Program

A collection of instructions that a computing device executes.

Code Segment

A smaller collection of statements that are part of a program.

Program Event

An action or occurrence that takes place within a computer program, triggering specific actions.

Event Driven Program

A program that responds to events triggered by user actions or system events.

Sequential Program

A program that executes instructions in order.

Iterative Development Process

Programmers develop working prototypes and go back through the stages of development.

Incremental Development Process

Programmers break the program into smaller pieces and ensure each piece works before adding it to the whole.

Library

A collection of functions that can be used in different programs, including details on how each function works, parameters, and return values.

Application Program Interface (API)

How each function works with a complete list of parameters and what (if anything) is returned.

Syntax Error

Occurs when the spelling and/or punctuation rules of the programming language are not followed.

Comments

Program documentation crucial for understanding how every part of a program works.

Logic Error

A mistake in a program's base logic that causes unexpected behavior.

Run-Time Error

An error that occurs when the program is running.

Overflow Error

An error that occurs when a computer tries to handle a number outside of its defined range of values.

Debugging

The process of finding and fixing errors in a program.

Number Base

The number of digits or digit combos that a system uses to represent values.

Decimal System

Uses a base 10 with combinations of 0-9.

Binary System

Only uses combinations of 0 and 1.

Bit

Smallest unit of information stored or manipulated on a computer (0/1).

Byte

8 bits form a byte.

Analog Data

Data that is measured continuously and changes very smoothly.

Sampling

Recording an analog signal at regular discrete moments and converting them to digital signals.

Data Abstraction

Filtering out specific details to focus on the information needed to process the data.

Digital Data

Simplified representation that leaves out extra details.

Data Compression

Without it a 3 minute song would be over 100MB.

Lossless Data Compression

Set of steps for packing data into a smaller space while allowing for the original data to be seen.

Run Length Encoding

Replacing repeating data with a run that represents the number and value of the repeated data.

Lossy Data Compression

Sacrifices some data in order to achieve greater compression.

Metadata

Data about data; it does not affect the data itself.

Data Mining

The process of examining very large data sets to find useful information such as patterns.

Data Transformation

Modifying every element of a data set.

Bias

Problems are often created by the type or source of data being collected.

Bar Chart

Presents categorical data with rectangular bars with heights or lengths proportional to the values that they represent.

Scatter Plots

Uses dots to represent values for two different numeric variables.

Global Variable

A variable that can be used anywhere in the program; declared outside of an event.

Local Variable

A variable that is used only in the part of the code it was created and is deleted once the event is done; should be avoided.

Data Types

Different categories of data that your computer can represent (e.g., integers, strings, lists, booleans).

Integers

Can be positive or negative whole numbers.

Strings

Represented by quotation marks.

Substring

Part of an existing string.

Boolean

Can only represent two values: true or false; computers use this to make decisions inside conditionals.

NOT Operator

Used to reverse what the condition evaluates to.

AND Operator

Used to combine two conditions; the operator will only evaluate to true if both conditions are met.

OR Operator

Involves two conditions; evaluates to true if one condition or the other is met.

Nested Conditionals

Conditional statements inside conditional statements.

Lists

An ordered sequence of elements; also known as arrays.

Algorithms

A set of instructions used to accomplish a specific task or solve a problem.

Element

An individual value in a list.

Linear Search

Checks each element of a list in order until the desired value is found or all elements in the list have been checked.

Binary Search

Algorithm starts in the middle of a sorted data set and eliminates half of the data based on what it’s looking for; repeats the process until the desired value is found.

Procedure

A group of programming instructions also called methods or functions.

Parameter

The input variables of a procedure.

Argument

Values passed into the procedure.

Iteration

Refers to the repetition of a set of instructions until a specific condition is met; also called loops.

Sequencing

Consists of steps that go in order.

Infinite Loops

Loops that continue to repeat indefinitely because the condition controlling the loop is always true or there is no condition at all.

While Loops

Runs while a condition is met and ends when that condition is no longer true; checks the condition before executing the code block.

MOD Operator

Modulo: a Mod b: a is divided by b and MOD gives you what the remainder would be.

Simulations

The process of creating a model or representation of a real world system or phenomenon on a computer and an examples of abstraction.

Heuristic

Approximate solution.

Halting Problem

Asks that if a computer is given a random program, can an algorithm ever be written that will answer the question, will this program ever stop running?, for all programs?

Decidable Problem

A decision problem.

Undecidable Problem

If an algorithm can’t be written that’s always capable of providing a correct yes or no answer

Internet

A computer network consisting of interconnected networks that use standardized, open (NONPROPRIETARY) communication protocols.

Computing Network

A group of computing devices that can share data with each other.

Computing System

A group of computing devices and programs working together for a common purpose.

Packets

Contain a section of the data you want to send and comes with a header that contains metadata to tell the routers where the packet is from, where it’s going and how it should be reassembled.

Routers

Sequences of connected computing devices.

Routing

The process of finding a path to take.

Bandwidth

The rate of data transfer it allows from one device to another.

Latency

How late the bits arrive.

Protocol

A standard set of rules that everyone agrees on; they are OPEN or NONPROPRIETARY.

TCP/IP

Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol: Two major protocols: The TCP governs how packets are created and reassembled while the IP moves packets to their destinations.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol and the protocol which controls how web page data is transmitted (enables communication between web browsers).

Scalability

The capacity for the system to change in size and scale to meet new demands.

Fault Tolerance

It can function properly even in the event of one part failing.

Redundancy

The inclusion of extra components that can be used to mitigate failure of a system of other components fail.

Parallel Computing

A program is broken into smaller sequential computing operations using multiple PROCESSORS.

Distributed Computing

Multiple DEVICES are used to run a program and allows users to share information.

Digital Divide

Refers to the gaps between those who have access to technology and the internet and those who don’t.

Open Sourcing

Allows for work to be freely distributed, and modified.

Digital Literacy Programs

Programs that teach people how to use the internet.

Machine Learning Models

Computer programs that can learn from data and make predictions or decisions without being programmed.

Citizen Science

Scientific research that the general population helps to conduct and IS A FORM OF CROWDSOURCING.

Crowdsourcing

The practice of getting a large amount of input or information from people on the internet.

Intellectual Property

The creations of the mind such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs and images used in commerce.

Copyright

The legal right that the creator of a work has to it.

Plagiarism

When you take the content of someone else and claim it as your own.

Creative Commons

Is a public copyright license that creators use when they want to GIVE others the right to use their work.

Fair Use

Allows the use of copyrighted material without permission for limited purposes such as new reporting.

Targeted Marketing

Search engines can track your search history and use it to suggest websites and ads.

Personally Identifiable Information

This is the information that can be used to identify you.

Security Patch

a software or operating-system patch that is intended to correct a vulnerability to hacking or viral infection.