AP CSP Unit 2 Vocabulary Terms

for the CSP girlies ✨

Flow Pattern

A pattern that comes when data is converted by computational logic structures.

Sequential Execution

Instructions for a program that are executed one step at a time in its assigned order.

Parameter

a variable that defines a procedure or sets the conditions of an operation

Arguments

An actual value passed down to a function/procedure when called.

Procedure

A group of reusable and abstracted step-by-step instructions.

Comments

Annotations of a code during a program that usually indicate the purpose of source code.

Remix

The process of modifying and sharing a pre-existing programming project.

Selection

A type of algorithm where multiple courses of action can be taken based on conditions (such as if/then statements).

If-statements

A selection statement that is executed when a certain criteria of a conditional is met.

If-else statement

A more detailed version of an if-statement that lists the instructions for if the criteria of a conditional is not met.

Nested Conditional

A conditional that includes multiple conditionals within it.

Operators

Characters or symbols that represent mathematical or logical processes.

Control Flow

The path that a computer takes to execute a procedure in a program.

Branching

An instruction in a program that can cause a computer to start a different set of instructions.

Conditionals

A statement that executes (or returns a value) when a certain criteria or condition is met.

Boolean Value

0s and 1s that return to indicate whether a statement is true (1) or false (0).

Switching

Returning different 0 or 1 values based on if a statement is true or false.

Nesting

Adding if statements within another if-statement.

Iteration

A type of algorithm which uses repetition of a number of actions until a condition is met.

Loop

A line of code that repeats other lines of code, which is used for iteration algorithms.

Indefinite Loop

A loop that will run an infinite number of times until another event in the code occurs (ex

Definite Loop

A loop that will iterate based on how many times the programmer tells it to iterate.

Repetition

A written step of a loop repeated until a condition is met.

Unsolvable Problem

A problem that cannot be solved by any algorithm

Halting Problem

A problem that determines whether a program will terminate or run indefinitely.

Scalability

How well programs execute on a progressively larger scale.

Big-O Notation

A mathematical notation that determines how much time and space a program needs as the input increases.

Sequential Search

A search that checks every value of a list until the result is found.

Binary Search

A search that divides a portion of a list by half until the result is identified.

Logarithmic Behavior

doubling the size of a problem only requires one extra unit of work.

Moore’s Law

States that the number of transistors in a chip will double every 1-2 years. This law helps to predict computer efficiency and developments.

Heuristics

Techniques designed for faster problem-solving for a complex issue.

operator block

light-green colored blocks of code used to handle strings and math equations in Scratch.

undecidable problem

where no algorithm can be made that always leads to a correct yes or no answer.

if-block

a set of instructions within an if block that is executed only if the condition in the if statement is met.

logic gate

a hardware abstraction that is modeled by a Boolean function

brute forcing

trial and error method used to decode encrypted data such as passwords.