BJC U4 Vocab

Internet

A computer network that uses open protocols to standardize communication.

Computer Network

An interconnected computing system that is capable of sending or receiving data

Computer System

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

Computing Device

A physical object that can run a program

World Wide Web

A system of linked pages, programs, and files that uses the Internet

Router

A computer that passes information from one network to another

ISPs (Internet Service Providers)

The companies who sell Internet access to homes and institutions

Bandwidth

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

Storing data on the cloud

Storing data somewhere on the Internet

Path

A sequence of directly connected computing devices that connect a sender to a receiver

Routing

The process of finding a path from sender to receiver

Scalability

The ability of the Internet to keep working as it grows

Redundancy

The inclusion of back-up elements in case one part fails

Fault Tolerance

The ability of a system to work around problems

A Protocol

A set of rules that specify the behavior of a system

IP Address

A unique number assigned to each device on a computer network

A Packet

A small chunk of any kind of data and metadata that is passed through the Internet as a data stream

Packet Switching

The Internet sends short bursts of information, not long continuous strings

IP (Internet Protocol)

Lets your computer pretend it has a direct connection to another computer

TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)

Lets your computer pretend it has a reliable connection to the other computer

Encryption

The process of encoding data to prevent unauthorized access

Decryption

the process of decoding the data

Symmetric Encryption

using the same key for both encryption and decryption

Public Key Encryption

using a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption

SSL/TLS (secure sockets layer/transport layer security)

the standard used for cryptographically secured information transfer on the Internet

Certificate Authorities

organizations that issue digital certificates to verify who owns the encryption keys used for secured communications

Malware

Software that was designed to harm or take partial control over your computer

Keylogging Software

A kind of malware that records every key pressed by a user

Computer Virus

A type of malware that spreads and infects other computers

Antivirus/Anti-malware Software

Software designed to scan your files and Internet transmissions looking for malware

Firewall

A security system that controls the kinds of connections that can be made between a computer or network and the outside world

Phising

A common security attack in which the victim is tricked into giving up personal information or downloading malware

DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack

Using a virus to flood a server with many requests from many computers at once so that users of that server are denied service.

Rogue Access Point

A wireless access point that gives access to a secure network without the authorization of the network administrator.

Digital Divide

Unequal access to computers and the Internet based on poverty, racism, sexism, isolation in the countryside, age, and other factors

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

Crowdsourcing

The general term for using the Internet to get a lot of people to help solve a problem

Computing Innovation

A physical, non-physical, or conceptual software innovation that includes a program as an integral part of its function

Bit

A single unit of data that can only have one of two values

Byte

Eight Bits

Word

A sequence of however many bits the CPU processes at a time

Binary Sequence

A string of ones and zeros

Analog

Data that has values that change smoothly, unlike digital data which change in discrete intervals

Sampling

Measuring samples of an analog signal at regular intervals

Sampling Rate

The number of samples measured per second

Floating Point

Scientific notation using powers of two to represent very large or very small values

Width

The number of bits that a CPU processes at a time

Lossless Data Compression

Algorithms that are reversible

Lossy Data Compression

Algorithms that are not fully reversible