AP CompSci Principles (Unit 1)

Bit

• the smallest unit of digital information

• 0 to 1

Byte

a byte is a unit of digital information that consists of 8 bits, commonly used to represent a character in computing and storage.

0 to 255

Ex. 1011 0011

Overflow

• When you don’t have enough bits to represent a certain number

• resets or causes an issue

Round off Errors

• having decimals that binary cannot represent

• binary system cannot do ever decimal number, so round off is needed

• works: 4.75 = 0100.110

• doesn’t work: 0.39 ~ 0000.011

Abstraction

concepts that may not be tangible or ideas that are not known/not easily identifiable, but you KNOW it’s there

• behind the scenes program that makes the code work

• comes with difference layers

• Ex. abstract art

Sampling

how often you try something out/change the pixels

• the HIGHER the sampling, the SHARPER your image

Analog Data

Data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time.

• your ORIGINAL image

• has not been digitized

• physical

• ex. music, colors of a painting, position of a sprinter during a race

Digital Data

Data that changes discreetly through a finite set of possible values

• computerized

• digitized version

Lossless Compression

no data lost so it CAN BE decompressed back into the exact ORIGINAL

• a process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something without losing any information

• process is reversible

• used in mostly professional settings

Lossy Compression

a process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something in which some information is lost or thrown away

• process is NOT reversible

• used when lower quality is acceptable, like to friends

Copyright

• protects your creativity

• helps with economic control

• legal and ethical considerations

Intellectual Property

something you created that you need to own

• not something you physically create

• more of an idea

• Ex. art, music, business idea

Creative Commons

you determine the type of copyright you want for your work

• decide what other people can do with your work

• share with others

• anybody can use it