Computer Science I Final

bit

a contraction of "Binary Digit"; the single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as a 0 or 1

byte

8 bits

binary

a way of representing information using only two options

binary number system

a system for representing numbers using combinations of the digits 0 and 1

decimal number system

a system for representing numbers using combinations of the digits 0 - 9

overflow error

an incorrect value from attempting to represent a number that is too large

round-off error

an incorrect value from attempting to represent a number that is too precise

digital data

data that changes discreetly through a finite set of possible values

analog data

data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time, for example, music and colors of a painting

sampling

a process for creating a digital representation of analog data by measuring the analog data at regular intervals

pixel

the fundamental unit of a digital image, typically a tiny square or dot which contains a single point of color of a larger image

resolution

the dimensions by which you can measure how many pixels are on a screen

RGB

the RGB color model that uses varying intensities of (R)ed, (G)reen, and (B)lue light added together to reproduce a broad array of colors

data compression

a process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent a piece of information

lossless compression

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

lossy compression

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

intellectual property

a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a piece of writing or a design, to which one has rights

creative commons

a collection of public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work

open access

content free of any and all restrictions on access and free of many restrictions on use

open source

content free of any and all restrictions on access and free of many restrictions on use

internet

a computer network consisting of interconnected networks that use standardized, open communication protocols

world wide web (WWW or web)

a network of web pages and media connected by links and accessible by URLs

web browser

the application used to view web pages

computing network

a group of interconnected computing devices capable of sending or receiving data

path

the series of connections between computing devices on a network starting with a sender and ending with a receiver

bandwidth

the maximum amount of data that can be sent in a fixed amount of time, usually measured in bits per second

protocol

an agreed-upon set of rules that specify the behavior of a system

IP address

the unique number assigned to each device on the Internet

internet protocol (IP)

a set of rules for sending data across the Internet that assigns unique numbers (IP addresses) to each connected device

router

a type of computer that forwards data across a network

redundancy

the inclusion of extra components so that a system can continue to work even if individual components fail

fault tolerant

describes a system that can continue to function even in the event of individual component failures

datastream

information passed through the internet in packets

packet

a chunk of data sent over a network

metadata

data that describes other data, for example, a packet includes metadata such as the source IP address, target IP address

transmission control protocol (TCP)

a protocol for sending packets that does error-checking to ensure all packets are received and in the proper order

user datagram protocol (UDP)

a protocol used on the internet for fast transmission of information with minimal error checking and no resending of dropped packets

hypertext markup language (HTML)

the language used to create web pages within a web browser

scalability

the capacity for the system to change in size and scale to meet new demands

domain name system (DNS)

the system responsible for translating domain names like example.com into IP addresses

uniform resource locator (URL)

the unique name for a domain or document on the internet

domain

a text identifier for a server on the internet containing a descriptive name, a period, and a TLD, for example: google.com

hyper text transfer protocol (HTTP)

the set of rules used for transmitting web pages over the internet

hyper text transfer protocol secure (HTTPS)

a secure version of  HTTP

internet service provider (ISP)

a company that provides access to the internet for a fee

certificate authority

issues digital certificates that validate the ownership of encryption keys used in secure communications

digital divide

differing access to computing devices and the internet, based on socioeconomic, geographic, or demographic characteristics

computing innnovation

effort involving a computer to change current practices in a creative way

personally identifiable information (PII)

information about an individual that identifies, links, relates, or describes them

privacy policy

an agreement from the user about how the software or technology will use their data

phishing

a technique that attempts to trick a user into providing personal information

keylogging

the use of a program to record every keystroke made by a computer user in order to gain fraudulent access to confidential information

malware

software intended to damage a computing system or to take partial control over its operation

rogue access point

a wireless access point that gives unauthorized access to secure networks

distributed denial of service (DOoS)

when a hacker uses multiple computers to send many requests to a target server, so that the server is unavailable for normal traffic

virus

a malicious program that can copy itself and gain access to a computer in an unauthorized way

encryption

a process of encoding messages to keep them secret, so only "authorized" parties can read it

decryption

a process that reverses encryption, taking a secret message and reproducing the original plain text

cipher

the generic term for a technique or algorithm that performs encryption

caser cipher

a technique for encryption that shifts the alphabet by some number of characters

substitution cipher

a technique of encryption in which each character is replaced with another character

symmetric key encryption

involves one key for both encryption and decryption

public key encryption

pairs a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption

multi-fraction authentication

a system that requires at least two steps to unlock protected information; each step adds a new layer of security that must be broken to gain unauthorized access

something that is easy for a user to remember but would be difficult for someone else to guess based on knowledge of that user

something that is easy for a user to remember but would be difficult for someone else to guess based on knowledge of that user