AP Computer Science Principles Vocabulary Flashcards

Flashcards for AP Computer Science Principles vocabulary review.

Binary

A base-2 numeral system that uses only 0 and 1.

Bit

A single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as 0 or 1.

Byte

A unit of digital information that most commonly consists of eight bits.

Overflow Error

An error that occurs when a calculation produces a result that is greater than the capacity of the storage.

Round-off Error

The difference between an approximate value and the exact value.

Analog Data

Data represented in a continuous manner.

Digital Data

Data represented using discrete values.

Sampling

The process of converting analog data into digital data by taking discrete samples.

Lossless Compression

A data compression technique that allows the original data to be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data.

Lossy Compression

A data compression technique that loses some data in order to achieve higher compression rates.

Intellectual Property

Creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, and symbols, names, and images used in commerce.

Creative Commons

A set of licenses that allow creators to share their work while retaining some rights.

Computing Device

A physical artifact that can run a program.

Computing System

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

Computing Network

A group of interconnected computing devices capable of sending or receiving data.

Path

A sequence of connections between computing devices in a network.

Bandwidth

The maximum rate of data transfer across a network.

Protocol

A set of rules governing the exchange or transmission of data between devices.

IP Address

A unique numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication.

Internet Protocol (IP)

The primary protocol for routing data packets across network boundaries.

Router

A networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks.

Packet

A formatted unit of data carried by a network.

Redundancy

The inclusion of extra components so that a system can continue to work even if some components fail.

Fault Tolerant

The ability of a system to continue operating properly in the event of the failure of some of its components.

HTTP

The protocol used for transmitting web pages over the Internet.

Internet

A global network of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to communicate.

World Wide Web

An information system on the Internet that allows documents to be connected to other documents by hypertext links, enabling the user to search for information by moving from one document to another.

Digital Divide

The gap between demographics and regions that have access to modern information and communications technology.

User Interface

The means by which a user interacts with a computer system or application.

Input

Data that is entered into a computer system or program.

Output

Data that is produced by a computer system or program.

Program Statement

A single instruction in a computer program.

Program

A set of instructions that tells a computer what to do.

Sequential Programming

A programming paradigm where program statements are executed in a linear order.

Event Driven Programming

A programming paradigm in which the flow of the program is determined by events.

Documentation

Written material that explains how a program works.

Comment

A programmer-readable explanation or annotation in the source code of a computer program.

Pair Programming

A software development technique in which two programmers work together at one workstation.

Debugging

The process of finding and fixing errors in a computer program.

Development Process

The steps or phases used to create software.

Event

An action or occurrence recognized by a software, often originating asynchronously from the external environment, that may be handled by the software.

Expression

A combination of values, variables, operators, and function calls that can be evaluated to produce a result.

Assignment Operator

A symbol used to assign a value to a variable.

Variable

A storage location in a computer's memory that is used to hold a value.

String

A sequence of characters.

Boolean Value

A data type that has one of two possible values (usually denoted true and false).

Comparison Operators

Operators used to compare two values (e.g., ==, !=,

Logical Operator

Operators used to perform logical operations (e.g., AND, OR, NOT).

Conditional Statement

A statement that executes a block of code only if a certain condition is true.

Function

A block of organized, reusable code that performs a specific task.

Function Call

An expression that invokes a function, executing the code within that function.

List

An ordered collection of elements.

Element

An item in a list.

Index

The position of an element in a list or array.

Iteration

The repetition of a process or block of code.

Infinite Loop

A loop that never terminates because its condition is always true.

Traversal

The process of accessing each element in a list or data structure.

Data Abstraction

Hiding complex implementation details and exposing only essential information to the user.

Problem

A question or difficulty that needs a solution.

Algorithm

A step-by-step procedure for solving a problem.

Efficiency

A measure of how well an algorithm uses resources, such as time and memory.

Linear Search

A search algorithm that checks each element in a list until the target value is found or the end of the list is reached.

Binary Search

A search algorithm that repeatedly divides a sorted list in half until the target value is found or the sublist is empty.

Reasonable Time

An amount of time that is practical and acceptable for an algorithm to complete.

Unreasonable Time

An amount of time that is impractical and unacceptable for an algorithm to complete.

Heuristic

A problem-solving approach (algorithm) that employs a practical method.

Decision Problem

A problem with a yes or no answer.

Optimization Problem

A problem that requires finding the best solution from a set of possible solutions.

Undecidable Problem

A problem for which no algorithm can be constructed that is always capable of providing a correct yes-or-no answer.

Sequential Computing

A computational model in which operations are performed in a sequential order.

Parallel Computing

A computational model in which operations are performed simultaneously.

Distributed Computing

A computational model in which operations are performed on multiple computers connected over a network.

Speedup

The ratio of the time it takes to solve a problem using a single processor to the time it takes to solve the same problem using multiple processors.

Parameter

A variable that is passed into a function.

Argument

The actual value passed to a function when it is called.

Return

To send a value back to the caller from a function.

Procedural Abstraction

The process of hiding the implementation details of a procedure and exposing only its interface.

Library

A collection of pre-written code that can be used in a program.

API

A set of functions and procedures that allow the creation of applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service.

Citizen Science

Scientific research conducted, in whole or in part, by amateur or nonprofessional scientists.

Cleaning Data

The process of correcting or removing inaccurate, incomplete, or irrelevant data.

Correlation

A statistical measure that expresses the extent to which two variables are linearly related.

Crowdsourcing

The practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people, especially from the online community.

Information

Data that has been processed and organized in a meaningful way.

Data Bias

A systematic error that skews results in a certain direction.

Data Filtering

The process of selecting a subset of data based on specific criteria.

Computing Innovation

A new computer artifact or computing technique.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Any information that can be used to identify an individual.

Phishing

A fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information by disguising oneself as a trustworthy entity.

Keylogging

The practice of recording the keys pressed on a keyboard, typically without the user's knowledge.

Malware

Software that is intended to damage or disable computers and computer systems.

Rogue Access Point

A wireless access point that has been installed on a secure network without explicit authorization from a local network administrator.

Encryption

The process of converting data into a form that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people.

Decryption

The process of converting encrypted data back into its original form.

Symmetric Key Encryption

An encryption method in which the same key is used to encrypt and decrypt data.

Public Key Encryption

An encryption method that uses a pair of keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.

Multi-factor Authentication

An authentication method that requires the user to provide multiple pieces of evidence to verify their identity.