AP CSP UNIT 1 VOCAB

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computer

a programmable device that stores, retrieves, and processes data; an electronic machine or device that performs processes, calculations and operations based on instructions provided by a software program

Central Processing Unit

part of the computer that processes data and allows the computer to "think." Sometimes referred to as a "computer chip".

memory

how a computer stores data

Random Access Memory

short-term memory that computers use to cache temporary data that they can access quickly; data that gets constantly deleted or over-written.

Storage

long-term memory that computers use to store data files or other more permanent pieces of information that a user would expect to be able to access consistently.

Input

any part of a computer that can take information from the outside world and input it into the computer (i.e. keyboard, mouse, camera).

Outline

parts of a computer that can output information to the outside world (i.e. display screen, printer, speakers).

Hardware

the physical parts of a computer

software

set of instructions or commands that tell the computer what to do.

System Software

low-level software that interacts directly with the computer hardware, often called operating system (os) software (i.e Windows, MacOS, Linux).

Application Software

higher-level software usually specialized to do a particular task (i.e. Minecraft, Microsoft Word, banking website).

Computing Innovation

something that includes a program as an integral part of its function; it can be physical (e.g., self driving car), nonphysical computing software (e.g., picture editing software), or a nonphysical computing concept (e.g., e-commerce).

Decomposition

the ability to break a larger problem down into smaller parts.

Pattern recognition

when you observe similarities and patterns within problems.

Abstraction

when you identify what defines the patterns you see, focus on the important information, and derive general rules and concepts that can be applied in other areas (carving out the relevant from the irrelevant).

Variable

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

Algorithm

a finite set of instructions that accomplish a specific task.

Algorithmic Thinking

when you develop a step-by-step plan, or the rules to follow to solve a problem

program

a collection of computer commands that perform a specific task when run by a computer; often referred to as software.

Code Segment

a group of programming statements that is part of a program

Behavior

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

Program input

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

Program outputs

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

Sprite

any object in a game that has properties (i.e. position, velocity) and behaviors (i.e. it can move, it has effects).

Event

an occurrence; things that happen, usually associated with an action (i.e. mouse click, button pressed).

Event Handler

a part of code that 'handles' or listens for a specific type of event; when that event occurs, the code inside the event handler is run.