AP Computer Science Principles Final Exam S1

Abstraction

Representing real-world problems in a computer using variables and symbols, and removing unnecessary elements.

Active Listening

Focusing attention on the speaker and topic, paraphrasing the speaker's feelings, and paying attention to body language.

Algorithm

A set of commands implementing sequencing, iteration, and selection to complete a task on a computer.

Analog Data

Information that is continuous, like sound waves from a live concert.

ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange)

A common character-encoding scheme that uses a numeric value to represent each character.

Binary

A base-2 number system where all data is represented as bits, which are either a 0 or a 1.

Bit

A single binary digit (a 0 or a 1).

Boolean

A data type or expression that evaluates to either true or false.

Bug

An error in a program that causes it to produce an unexpected or incorrect result.

Byte

A unit of digital information that consists of 8 bits.

Comments

Notes within a program's code that help programmers understand the code.

Compilation

The process of converting code in a high-level language into low-level instructions.

Control Structure

A block of programming that analyzes variables and chooses a direction based on given parameters.

Copyright

An exclusive legal right given to the creator of a work.

CPU (Central Processing Unit)

The part of a computer that reads and executes program instructions.

Creative Commons (CC)

A licensing system that enables content creators to freely distribute their copyrighted work.

Data Compression

The process of reducing the number of bits needed to represent a piece of data.

Debugging

The process of finding and fixing errors (bugs) in a program's code.

Digital Artifact

A visual piece of media created by a person.

Digital Data

Information represented as discrete units, specifically as bits in a computer.

Function

A reusable programming abstraction; a piece of code that can be called many times.

Heuristic

An approach to problem-solving that provides an approximate solution.

High-Level Language

A programming language designed to be more easily understood by humans.

Incremental Development

A coding best practice of breaking down code into small, manageable chunks.

Infinite Loop

A loop whose condition never becomes false, causing it to run forever.

Input

Information provided to a program by a user.

Intellectual Property

A work or invention that is the result of creativity.

Iteration

The repetition of a process or a set of statements in a program.

Iterative Development

A coding best practice of repeating the process of checking code.

List Traversal

The process of accessing each item in a list sequentially.

Logic Error

An error that causes incorrect or unexpected output in a program.

Lossless Compression

A data compression algorithm that allows for perfect reconstruction of the original data.

Lossy Compression

A data compression algorithm that results in some data being lost.

Low-Level Language

A programming language with little abstraction from a computer's instruction set.

MOD (Modulus Operator)

An arithmetic operator that evaluates to the remainder when one integer is divided by another.

Modularization

The process of breaking a large programming project into smaller modules.

Output

The result or information produced by a program.

Overflow Error

An error that occurs when a calculation produces a result that is too large.

Parallel Programming

A model where multiple people can work on different parts of a project simultaneously.

Parameter

A variable in a function definition used as a placeholder for values.

Pseudocode

A simplified, language-agnostic notation for representing algorithms.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

The part of a computer that stores instructions and information.

Scalability

The ability of a program or algorithm to handle increasing amounts of work.

Selection

A control structure that allows a program to make a decision based on a condition.

Sequencing

The execution of statements in a program in the order they are written.

Syntax Error

An error where the rules of the programming language are not followed.

Variable

A placeholder for a piece of information that can change.