AP CSP

Abstraction

to reduce detail or information for a purpose in a program; to generalize concepts so that they can be used in a variety of instances

Digital data

letters, numbers, characters, or other information that has been transmitted or stored electronically

Bit

a single binary digit which can contain either a 1 or a 0

Byte

a group of 8 bits; can express the same amount of information as two hexadecimal digits

Nibble

a group of 4 bits; can express the same amount of information as one hexadecimal digit

Binary number system (base-2)

a number system in which each number represents a power of 2; each digit is a 1 or a 0

Hexadecimal number system (base-16)

a number system in which each number represents a power of 16; each digit can be 0-9 or A-F

Decimal number system (base-10)

a number system in which each number represents a power of 10; each digit can be 0-9

Binary sequence

a series of 1's and 0's

Programming language

a vocabulary and set of grammatical rules for instructing a computer or computing device to perform specific tasks; usually refers to high-level languages, such as BASIC, C, COBOL, Java, FORTRAN, Pascal, Python, etc.

Low-level language

A programming language such as machine language or assembly language that relies on zero or very few abstractions; machine language can communicate directly with the CPU

High-level language

A programming language which is similar to human languages and which relies heavily on abstractions; the language must be compiled (or translated) into machine code in order to be executable on a computer

Floating point numbers

Non-integers; real numbers; can cause calculation problems when converting fractions to base-2, base-10, or base-16 numbers

Software

the instructions and programs that tell computer hardware how to function

Levels of abstraction

The amount of complexity by which a system is viewed or programmed. The higher the level, the less detail. The lower the level, the more detail.

Binary data

Information stored as 0's and 1's

Boolean function

a function that combines conditions with AND, OR, NOT, and/or XOR and returns either "true" or "false"

Logic gate

one of the building blocks of a computer chip, logic gates typically take two inputs and return either true or false

Chip (as an abstraction)

Low-level hardware components that perform specific functions; usually grouped onto a motherboard; types include processor, BIOS, memory, graphics, audio, networking, power, fan controllers, etc.

Hardware

the physical components of a computer

Lower-level abstractions

abstractions with lots of detail; very specific

Higher-level abstractions

abstractions with few details; broad

Model

a virtual representation of real object(s) or environment(s) in a more abstract way (with less detail)

Simulation

a virtual representation of how an object or environment will behave or react given a set of conditions or inputs; more abstract (with less detail) than reality; used to understand or solve a problem

Hypothesis

an educated theory or guess that is subject to testing and experimentation with the goal to prove or disprove it

Big Data

The huge and complex data sets generated by today's sophisticated information generation, collection, storage, and analysis technologies

Classifying Data

Grouping things together based on how they are alike

Cleaning Data

Making data ready for computational analysis which can include correcting or deleting invalid values and categorizing free-text data

Collaboration

The action of working with someone to produce or create something

Filtering Data

Removing parts of data sets to simplify data and/or to make conclusions more evident

Lossless Data Compression

Reduces the file size without any loss of data quality

Lossy Data Compression

Data compression technique where the number of bits needed to store or transmit information is reduced, but the original data cannot be reconstructed

Metadata

Data that describes other data

Patterns in Data

Finding these patterns takes "data mining" which finds new or unexpected patterns

Pixel

Short for "picture element" it is the fundamental unit of a digital image, typically a tiny square or dot which contains a single point of color of a larger image.

Privacy

The state or condition of being free from being observed or disturbed by other people

Scalability

Describes how well a system can scale up, or adapt to the increased demands of growth

Security

The state of being free from danger or threat

Server Farm

Where many large computers are located in one place for the purpose of processing data

Algorithm

A methodical, logical rule or procedure that guarantees solving a particular problem

Binary Search

An ordered list is divided in 2 with each comparison

Boolean Values

Binary values (usually denoted true and false), intended to represent the truth values of logic and Boolean algebra

Clarity

How easy a program is to understand

Condition

AND, OR, NOT statements

Correctness

The accuracy of information presented and the honest representation of the speaker

Efficiency

How long a program will take to run and how much memory it needs

Heuristic

A problem solving approach (algorithm) to find a satisfactory solution where finding an optimal or exact solution is impractical or impossible.

Intractable

Problems for which there are no efficient algorithms

Iterative

A process that repeats a series of steps over and over until the desired outcome is obtained. "loops"

Linear Search

A method for finding a target value within a list. It sequentially checks each element of the list for the target value until a match is found or until all the elements have been searched.

Readability

How easy an extended amount of text is to read.

Selection

A generic term for a type of programming statement (usually an if-statement) that uses a Boolean condition to determine, or select, whether or not to run a certain block of statements.

Sequential

Forming or following a logical order or sequence

Undecidable/Unsolvable

Problems that cannot be solved and does not have an algorithm that can give a correct "yes" or "no" for each instance.

API

Application Programming Interface; a code library for building programs

Argument

Sends values of the parameter to the procedure

Assignment Statement

Sets and/or re-sets the value stored in the storage location denoted by a variable name; in other words, it copies a value into the variable

Boolean

A single value of either TRUE or FALSE

Collaboration

The action of working with someone to produce or create something. Also helps to create good programs

Debugging

Finding and fixing problems in your algorithm or program

Floating Point Number

Any number with a decimal point showing one or more digits behind the decimal point.

Index

How an item in a list can be found

Integers

Whole numbers and their opposites (no decimals)

Library

A collection of commands / functions, typically with a shared purpose

Lists

A collection of items (like a grocery LIST)

Logical operators

&& \[and\]

|| \[or\]

! \[not\]

Parameter

Allow the calling program to send values to the procedure via arguments, also make procedures more flexible

Procedure

Section of code that will be executed only when they are called by the main program or another procedure

SDLC (Systems Development Life Cycle)

The overall process for developing information systems from planning and analysis through implementation and maintenance

String

A sequence of characters or a collection of items

Variable

A symbol used to represent a quantity that can change

Internet

network of independent but connected devices all over the world

World Wide Web

collection of interlinked website documents (such as html files) that you can view with a web browser by typing in addresses

HTML

Hypertext Markup Language

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol

URL

Uniform Resource Locator; address for accessing specific web data located on a server

Server

a computer hosting data for others to access

Protocol

the standard for communications between browsers and servers (usually "http" or "https")

Domain name

the name of the server that hosts the data/ a human-readable way of locating an internet site

Path

the location of the data in a hierarchy of folders on the server

Internet protocols (IP)

an addressing system that finds paths to distant computers and splits data into small packets sent separately

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

a reliable system of transmitting data packets

DNS

Domain Name System; internet protocol for translating domain names to IP addresses

Primary Domains

main address for a site

Subdomains

subsections of primary domains or of other subdomains

\
ex: snap.berkeley.edu is the ___________ of berkeley.edu

Network of networks

the internet

Routers

connection points between networks

IPv4

The Internet Protocol version 4 is the dominant protocol for routing traffic on the Internet, specifying "to" and "from" addresses using a dotted decimal such as "122.45.255.0".

IPv6

The Internet Protocol version 6 provides a large number of new addresses to route Internet traffic, using "from" and "to" addresses written as colon-hexadecimal notation, such as "fe80::42:acff:feaa:1bf0".

Packet Switching

the internet sends short bursts of information, not long continuous strings

Hierarchy of abstractions

manages the complexity of the internet by hiding the details of lower levels of the system

Application layer protocols

The highest level of abstraction because they manage how data is interpreted and displayed to users. These protocols give meaning to the bits sent by lower-level protocols; user and server computers must agree on what the bits mean, and application protocols (like HTTP) offer this

Transport layer protocols

Manage the breakdown of a message into packets to be transmitted by lower level protocols and also the reconstruction of the message from the packets upon arrival

Internet layer protocols

Manage the pathways that the data packets travel across networks. These protocols treat the Internet like one large network even though the physical reality on the lower level is one of many tiny subnetworks

Link layer protocols (network interface hardware)

All Internet devices connect through a physical interface that uses a protocol to manage the connection to the local network. These local protocols are the least abstract because they deal directly with your physical hardware

Open protocols

Standards that are not owned by a company

Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)

controls the DNS hierarchy and the allocation of IP addresses

Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

experts in charge of developing and approving these protocols

Edward Snowden (2013)

exposed the NSA for spying on internet traffic worldwide

Symmetric Cryptography

Encryption that uses a single key to encrypt and decrypt a message