WGU 684: Intro to Comp Sci

What does ASCII stand for?

American Standard Code for Information Interchange.

What is Huffman encoding?

A compression technique that uses variable-length codes for data representation based on frequency of occurrence.

What is an integer?

A whole number.

What is keyword encoding?

A method of data compression that replaces frequently occurring patterns with shorter codes.

What is lossless compression?

A type of data compression where no information is lost and the original data can be perfectly reconstructed.

What is lossy compression?

A type of data compression that reduces file size by permanently eliminating some information, which may affect quality.

What is overflow in computing?

A condition in which a calculation exceeds the maximum value that can be represented within a given number of bits.

What is analog data?

Data represented in a continuous and variable form.

What is bandwidth?

The maximum rate of data transfer across a network or communication channel, usually measured in bits per second.

What is binary?

A numerical system that uses only two digits, zero and one, to represent data in computing.

What is a Boolean expression?

A logical statement that can only be true or false and uses operators like AND, OR, and NOT.

What is a character set?

A collection of characters that a computer can recognize and process, like ASCII or Unicode.

What is a compression ratio?

The ratio of the original data size to the compressed data size, indicating how much the data has been reduced.

What is a control structure?

Constructs in programming that control the flow of execution, such as loops and conditional statements.

What is data?

Raw facts and figures that can be processed to produce meaningful information.

What is data compression?

The process of reducing the size of data to save space or transmission time.

What are data types?

Categories of data that define what kind of value can be stored, like integers, floats, and strings.

What is a declaration in programming?

A statement that specifies the name and type of a variable or function without assigning a value.

What is digital data?

Data represented using discrete binary values (zeroes and ones).

What is floating point?

A way to represent real numbers that can have fractional parts using a format that includes a base and an exponent.

What is pulse-code modulation (PCM)?

A method used to digitally represent analog signals.

What is a radix point?

The decimal point in a number system that indicates the separation between integer and fractional parts.

What is a real data type?

A data type representing numbers that can have fractional parts, often called floating-point numbers.

What is reclocking?

The process of refreshing the timing signals in digital data to ensure accuracy and synchronization.

What is run-length encoding?

A simple compression technique that replaces sequences of repeated characters with a single character and a count.

What is scientific notation?

A method of representing very large or very small numbers by using powers of 10.

What is signed-magnitude representation?

A way of encoding positive and negative numbers where one bit represents the sign and the remaining bits represent the magnitude.

What is a string?

A sequence of characters treated as a single data element and used for text manipulation.

What is strong typing?

A feature in programming languages where each variable is explicitly declared to be of a specific type, reducing errors.

What is ten's complement?

A mathematical method for representing negative numbers in a decimal system.

What is Unicode?

A universal character set that includes characters from virtually all writing systems.

What are alphanumeric values?

Characters that include both letters (A-Z) and numbers (0-9).

What is an assignment operator?

A symbol used to assign a value to a variable, typically =.

What is an assignment statement?

A line of code that assigns a value to a variable, like x = 5.

What is a binary operator?

An operator that takes two operands, such as +, -, *, and /.

What is camel casing?

A naming convention where the first letter is lowercase and each subsequent word starts with an uppercase letter.

What is garbage in programming?

Unused or leftover data in memory that the program no longer needs or references.

What is Hungarian notation?

A naming convention where the name of a variable starts with a prefix indicating its type.

What is an identifier?

A name given to a variable, function, or other item in code to identify it.

What does initializing a variable mean?

Assigning an initial value to a variable when it is declared.

What is kebab case?

A naming convention where words are all lowercase and separated by hyphens.

What is a keyword (reserved word)?

A reserved word in a programming language that has a specific meaning and cannot be used as an identifier.

What is an lvalue?

An expression that refers to a memory location, which can appear on the left side of an assignment.

What is mixed case with underscores?

A naming convention that combines uppercase and lowercase letters with underscores between words.

What is a numeric constant?

A fixed number value written directly in the code.

What is a numeric variable?

A variable that holds a number value.

What is an operand?

A value or variable on which an operator acts.

What is Pascal casing?

A naming convention in which each word in the name starts with an uppercase letter.

What is right-to-left associativity?

The order in which operations are performed in expressions where operators of the same precedence appear, processed from right to left.

What is snake casing?

A naming convention in which words are all lowercase and separated by underscores.

What is a string constant?

A fixed sequence of characters written directly in the code.

What is a string variable?

A variable that holds a sequence of characters (a string).

What is type safety?

Ensuring a variable is only used in ways consistent with its data type.

What is an unnamed constant?

A fixed value used directly in code without assigning it to a variable.

What is a variable?

A named storage location in memory that can hold different values throughout a program.

What is an abstract step?

A high-level action in an algorithm that describes what needs to be done without detailing how to do it.

What is an algorithm?

A step-by-step set of instructions designed to perform a specific task or solve a problem.

What is a branch in an algorithm?

A point where a decision is made, leading to different actions based on conditions.

What is an infinite loop?

A loop that never ends because the termination condition is never met.

What is input in programming?

Data that are provided to a program for processing.

What is a loop control variable?

A variable that determines whether the loop will continue running or stop.

What is a nested structure?

A programming construct where one control structure is placed inside another.

What is output in programming?

Data that are produced by a program and presented to the user.

What is a pretest loop?

A loop that evaluates its condition before executing the body of the loop.

What is pseudocode?

A simplified, human-readable version of a program's code that outlines the logic.

What is repetition (iteration)?

The act of executing a set of instructions multiple times.

What is selection in programming?

A control structure that allows a program to choose between different actions based on conditions.

What is left-to-right associativity?

The rule that operators with the same precedence are evaluated from left to right.

What is a magic number?

A hard-coded number in a program that lacks context or explanation.

What is a named constant?

A variable with a value that is set once and cannot be changed.

What is overhead in computing?

The extra processing time, memory, or other resources required by a computer program beyond the actual task.

What are the rules of precedence?

The rules that define the sequence in which different operations are performed in an expression.

What is an abstract data type?

A blueprint for organizing and working with data that defines what operations can be performed on the data.

What is an array?

A collection of items stored in a contiguous memory block, each identified by an index number.

What is a composite variable?

A variable that can hold multiple pieces of data, often grouped together under a single name.

What is a container in programming?

A data structure that holds a collection of elements.

What is a data structure?

A way of organizing and storing data in a computer's memory.

What is a linked structure?

Any structure composed of elements connected by links or pointers.

What is a list?

A collection of items arranged in a linear sequence.

What is a record in programming?

A data structure that groups related pieces of information under a single name.

What is an argument in programming?

The actual value or data you pass to a function when you call it.

What is a parameter?

A variable in a function definition that acts as a placeholder for the value you pass.

What is a parameter list?

A set of parameters defined in a function specifying the number and types of inputs.

What is a reference parameter?

A type of parameter that allows a function to modify the actual variable passed to it.

What is a subprogram (function)?

A block of code that performs a specific task and can be reused.

What is a value parameter?

A type of parameter that passes a copy of the argument's value to the function.

What is asynchronous operation?

A type of operation that runs independently of the main program flow.

What is bytecode?

A low-level, platform-independent code executed by a virtual machine.

What does case sensitive mean?

When a programming language treats uppercase and lowercase letters as different characters.

What is a class in programming?

A blueprint for creating objects that defines properties and behaviors.

What is a compiler?

A tool that translates source code into machine code or bytecode.

What is encapsulation?

Bundling data and methods that operate on the data into a single unit.

What is a field in programming?

A variable associated with a class or object that represents a piece of data.

What is inheritance?

The creation of a new class based on an existing class, inheriting its properties.

What does instantiate mean?

The process of creating a specific instance of a class.

What is an interpreter?

A tool that executes source code directly and translates it into machine code in real time.

What is a method in programming?

A function defined within a class that describes the behaviors of an object.

What is an object in programming?

An instance of a class containing data and methods.

What is a paradigm in programming?

A style or approach to programming that dictates how code is structured.

What is polymorphism?

A concept that allows objects of different classes to be treated as objects of a common superclass.