Computer Science: Algorithms, Data Structures, and Programming Concepts

sequencing

The sequential execution of steps in an algorithm or code in a program (like steps in a recipe).

selection

A Boolean condition to determine which of two paths are taken in an algorithm or program.

iteration

The repetition of steps in an algorithm or program for a certain amount of times or until a certain condition is met.

linear search

An algorithm that iterates through each item in a list until it finds the target value.

binary search

An algorithm that searches a sorted list for a value by repeatedly splitting the list in half.

reasonable time

A run time for an algorithm that doesn't increase faster than a polynomial function of the input size (like 10n, n^2, etc). An unreasonable run time would increase superpolynomially (like 2^n or n!).

heuristic

A technique that helps an algorithm find a good solution in a hard problem (like always walking toward the north star when you are stuck in a forest).

undecidable

A problem that is so logically difficult, we can't ever create an algorithm that would be able to answer 'yes' or 'no' for all inputs (like the halting problem).

library

A collection of procedures that are useful in creating programs.

API

Application Programming Interface, a library of procedures and a description of how to call each procedure.

modularity

The separation of a program into independent modules that are each responsible for one aspect of the program's functionality.

traversal

The iteration over the items in a list. A full traversal iterates over every item, while a partial traversal iterates over a subset of the items.