Compsci

Bit

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

1

● Byte

8 bits

● Overflow Error

Error from attempting to represent a number that is too large.

● Round-off Error

Error from attempting to represent a number that is too precise. The value is rounded.

● Analog Data

Data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time. Some examples of analog

data include music, colors of a painting, or position of a sprinter during a race.

● Digital Data

Data that changes discretely through a finite set of possible values

● Sampling

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

regular intervals called samples.

● Lossless Compression

A process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something without

losing any information. This process is reversible.

● Lossy Compression

A process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something in which

some information is lost or thrown away. This process is not reversible.

Binary

A way of representing information using only two options.

● Creative Commons

A collection of public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise

copyrighted work, used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that

they have created

● Data Compression

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

● Decimal

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

● 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 and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.

● Open Access

online research output free of any and all restrictions on access and free of many restrictions

on use, such as copyright or license restrictions

● Open Source

programs that are made freely available and may be redistributed and modified

● Computing Device

a machine that can run a program, including computers, tablets, servers, routers, and

smart sensors

● 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

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 some system

● IP Address

The unique number assigned to each device on the Internet.

● Internet Protocol (IP)

a protocol 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, for example by having more than one path between any two connected devices in a network.

● Fault Tolerant

Can continue to function even in the event of individual component failures. This is important

because elements of complex systems like a computer network fail at unexpected times, often in groups.

HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol - the protocol used for transmitting web pages over the Internet

● Internet

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

(nonproprietary) communication protocols.

● Packet

A chunk of data sent over a network. Larger messages are divided into packets that may arrive at the

destination in order, out-of-order, or not at all.

● Packet Metadata

Data added to packets to help route them through the network and reassemble the original

message.

● Routing

the process of finding a path from sender to receiver.

● UDP

A protocol used on the internet for fast transmission of information but with minimal error checking

● World Wide Web

a system of linked pages, programs, and files.

● Router

A type of computer that forwards data across a network

● Certificate authority

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

communications and are based on a trust model .

● Digital Divide

differing access to computing devices and the Internet, based on socioeconomic, geographic,

or demographic characteristics

User Interface

the inputs and outputs that allow a user to interact with a piece of software. User interfaces

can include a variety of forms such as buttons, menus, images, text, and graphics.

● Input

data that are sent to a computer for processing by a program. Can come in a variety of forms, such as

tactile interaction, audio, visuals, or text.

● Output

any data that are sent from a program to a device. Can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile

interaction, audio, visuals, or text.

● Program Statement

a command or instruction. Sometimes also referred to as a code statement.

● Program

a collection of program statements. Programs run (or “execute”) one command at a time.

● Sequential Programming

program statements run in order, from top to bottom.

● Event Driven Programming

some program statements run when triggered by an event, like a mouse click or

a key press

● Documentation

a written description of how a command or piece of code works or was developed.

● Comment

form of program documentation written into the program to be read by people and which do not

affect how a program runs.

● Pair Programming

a collaborative programming style in which two programmers switch between the roles of

writing code and tracking or planning high level progress

● Debugging

Finding and fixing problems in an algorithm or program.

● Development process

the steps or phases used to create a piece of software. Typical phases include

investigating, designing, prototyping, and testing

● Event

associated with an action and supplies input data to a program. Can be generated when a key is

pressed, a mouse is clicked, a program is started, or by any other defined action that affects the flow of

execution.

● Incremental Development Process

a design approach that breaks the problem into smaller pieces and

makes sure each piece works before adding it to the whole.

● Iterative Development Process

a design approach requires refinement and revision based on feedback,

testing, or reflection throughout the process. This may require revisiting earlier phases of the process.

● Plagiarism

The use of material created by someone else without permission and presented as one’s own

● Program Requirements

descriptions how a program functions and may include a description of user

interactions that a program must provide.

● Program specification

a description of all the requirements for the program.

● Syntax Error

a mistake in the program where the rules of the programming language are not followed.

● Software

A program or a collection of programs

● Expression

a combination of operators and values that evaluates to a single value

● Assignment Operator

allows a program to change the value represented by a variable

● Variable

a named reference to a value that can be used repeatedly throughout a program.

● Boolean Value

a data type that is either true or false.

● Comparison Operators

● Function

a named group of programming instructions. Also referred to as a “procedure”.

● Function Call

a command that executes the code within a function

● Arithmetic operator

part of most programming languages and include addition, subtraction, multiplication,

division, and modulus operators.

● Boolean Expression

evaluates to either true or false

● Concatenation

joins together two or more strings end-to-end to make a new string.