APCSP Vocab

strong password

a password that is easy for a user to remember but would be difficult for someone else to guess based on knowledge of that user

algorithm

a finite set of instructions that accomplish a specific task. Every algorithm can be constructed using combinations of sequencing, selection, and iteration.

abstraction

the process of reducing complexity by focusing on the main idea. By hiding details irrelevant to the question at hand and bringing together related and useful details, abstraction reduces complexity and allows one to focus on the idea.

sequencing algorithm

the application of each step of an algorithm in the order in which the code statements are given

selection algorithm

determines which parts of an algorithm are executed based on a condition being true or false

iteration algorithm

a repeating portion of an algorithm. Iteration repeats a specified number of times or until a given condition is met.

encryption

the process of encoding data to prevent unauthorized access

decryption

the process of the process of decoding the data

programming language

used to implement algorithms executed by programs

problem

a general description of a task that can (or cannot) be solved algorithmically

instance of a problem

a specific task that needs to be solved with specific input

decision problem

a problem with a yes/no answer

optimization problem

a problem with the goal of finding the "best" solution among many

decidable problem

a decision problem for which an algorithm can be written to produce a correct output for all inputs

undecidable problem

one in which no algorithm can be constructed that always leads to a correct yes-or-no answer

scalability

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

efficiency

an estimation of the amount of computational resources used by an algorithm. Efficiency is typically expressed as a function of the size of the input.

linear or sequential search

search algorithms that check each element of a list, in order, until the desired value is found or all elements in the list have been checked

binary search

a search algorithm that starts at the middle of a sorted data set of numbers and eliminates half of the data; this process repeats until the desired value is found or all elements have been eliminated

heuristic

an approach to a problem that produces a solution that is not guaranteed to be optimal but may be used when techniques that are guaranteed to always find an optimal solution are impractical

algorithmic bias

bias embedded into algorithms and any level of software development

pair programming

a common model of programming that facilitates collaboration

program

a collection of program statements that performs a specific task when run by a computer. A program is often referred to as software

code segment

a collection of program statements that are part of a program

behavior of a program

how a program functions during execution and is often described by how a user interacts with it

event

associated with an action and supplies input data to a program

program documentation

a written description of the function of a code segment, event, procedure, or program and how it was developed

comments

a form of program documentation written into the program to be read by people and do not affect how a program runs

iterative development process

a development process that requires refinement and revision based on feedback, testing, or reflection throughout the process

incremental development process

a development process that breaks the problem into smaller pieces and makes sure each piece works before adding it to the whole

program inputs

data sent to a computer for processing by a program. Input can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile, audio, visual, or text.

program outputs

any data sent from a program to a device. Program output can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile, audio, visual, or text.

variable

an abstraction inside a program that can hold a value. Each variable has associated data storage that represents one value at a time, but that value can be a list or other collection that in turn contains multiple values.

conditional statements, or "if-statements"

code statements that affect the sequential flow of control by executing different statements based on the value of a Boolean expression

Boolean value

either true or false

nested conditional statements

consist of conditional statements within conditional statements

iteration statements

code statements that change the sequential flow of control by repeating a set of statements zero or more times, until a stopping condition is met

procedure

a named group of programming instructions that may have parameters and return values

parameters

input variables of a procedure

arguments

specify the values of the parameters when a procedure is called

analog data

values that change smoothly, rather than in discrete intervals, over time

sampling technique

a technique used to measure the values of the analog signal at regular intervals called samples

data compression

a method designed to reduce the size (number of bits) of transmitted or stored data

lossless data compression

compression that has occurred that can reduce the number of bits stored or transmitted while guaranteeing complete reconstruction of the original data

lossy data compression

compression that has occurred that can significantly reduce the number of bits stored or transmitted but only allow reconstruction of an approximation of the original data

Creative Commons

a public copyright license that enables the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work

open source

programs that are made freely available and may be redistributed and modified

open access

online research output free of any and all restrictions on access and free of many restrictions on use, such as copyright or license restrictions

bit

shorthand for binary digit, either a 0 or 1

byte

8 bits

number bases

used to represent data, includes binary and decimal

binary (base 2)

uses only combinations of the digits zero and one

decimal (base 10)

uses only combinations of the digits 0-9

modulus operator

arithmetic operator used to return the remainder of a division operation

overflow error

an error caused by the limitation of the range of values and mathematical operations on those values by representing integers with a fixed number of bits

round-off error

an error caused by the limitation of using a fixed number of bits to represent real numbers which limits the range and mathematical operations on those values

list

an ordered sequence of elements. The use of lists allows multiple related items to be represented using a single variable.

element

an individual value in a list that is assigned a unique index

index

A common method for referencing the elements in a list or string using natural numbers

complete list traversal

all elements in the list are accessed

partial list traversal

only a portion of elements in the list are accessed

simulation

a representation that uses varying sets of values to reflect the changing state of a phenomenon

crowdsourcing

the practice of obtaining input or information from a large number of people via the Internet

citizen science

scientific research conducted in whole or part by distributed individuals, many of whom may not be scientists, who contribute relevant data to research using their own computing devices

cleaning data

a process that makes the data uniform without changing its meaning

Information

the collection of facts and patterns extracted from data

redundancy

the inclusion of extra components that can be used to mitigate failure of a system if other components fail

computing innovation

an innovation that includes a program as an integral part of its function

personally identifiable information (PII)

information about an individual that identifies, links, relates, or describes them

metadata

data about data

digital divide

the differing access to computing devices and the Internet, based on socioeconomic, geographic, or demographic characteristics

computing device

a physical artifact that can run a program

computing system

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

computer network

a group of interconnected computing devices capable of sending or receiving data

fault-tolerant

the term used when a system can support failures and still continue to function

protocol

an agreed-upon set of rules that specify the behavior of a system

bandwidth

the maximum amount of data that can be sent in a fixed amount of time

routing

the process of finding a path from sender to receiver

path

is a sequence of directly connected computing devices that begins at the sender and ends at the receiver

data streams

streams that contain chunks of data, which are encapsulated in packets

packets

contain a chunk of data and metadata used for routing the packet between the origin and the destination on the Internet, as well as for data reassembly

World Wide Web

a system of linked pages, programs, and files

HTTP

a protocol used by the World Wide Web

sequential computing

a computational model in which operations are performed in order one at a time

distributed computing

a computational model in which multiple devices are used to run a program

parallel computing

a computational model where the program is broken into multiple smaller sequential computing operations, some of which are performed simultaneously

speedup of a parallel solution

the time it took to complete the task sequentially divided by the time it took to complete the task when done in parallel

public key encryption

encryption that pairs a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption

multifactor authentication

a method of computer access control in which a user is only granted access after successfully presenting several separate pieces of evidence to an authentication mechanism, typically in at least two of the following categories: knowledge (something they know); possession (something they have), and inherence (something they are)

malware

software intended to damage a computing system or take partial control over its operation

computer virus

a malicious program that can copy itself and gain access to a computer in an unauthorized way

phishing

a technique that attempts to trick a user into providing personal information

keylogging

the use of a program to record every keystroke made by a computer user in order to gain fraudulent access to passwords and other confidential information

rogue access point

a wireless access point that gives unauthorized access to secure networks