APCSP Vocab

Binary Number

a base 2 number with two possible different digits

Decimal Number

a base 10 number with ten possible different digits

Byte

8 bits

Bit

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

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

Sampling

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

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 discreetly through a finite set of possible values

Lossless Compression

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

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

Intellectual Property

refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs, and symbols; names and images used in commerce

Creative Commons

an international nonprofit organization that empowers people to grow and sustain the thriving commons of shared knowledge and culture we need to address the world's most pressing challenges and create a brighter future for all

Computing Device

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

Computing Network

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

Computing System

a group of computing devices and programs working together for a common purpose

Path

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

Bandwith

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

Internet Protocol (IP)

the unique number assigned to each device on the internet

IP Address

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

Fault Tolerance

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

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

Packet

a chunk of data sent over a network. Larger messages are divided in packets that may arrive in the destination in order, out-of-order, or not at all

Scalability

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

World Wide Web

a system of linked pages, programs, and files

Domain Name System (DNS)

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

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

a protocol for computers to request and share the pages that make up the world wide web on the internet

Digital Divide

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

- can affect both individual and groups

raises ethical concerns of equity, access, and influence globally and locally

- affected by the actions of individuals, organizations, and governments

Packet Metadata

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

Datastream

information passed through the internet in packets

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

a protocol for sending packets that does error-checking to ensure all packets are received and properly ordered

User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

a protocol for sending packets quickly with minimal error-checking and no resending of dropped packets

Input

data that are sent to a computer for processing by 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

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

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.

- no user interaction

- code runs the same way every time

Event Driven Programming

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

- programs run differently each time depending on user interactions

Documentation

a written description of how a commander 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

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

holds one value at a time; a reference to a value (or a value that results from evaluating an expression) that can be used repeatedly throughout a program

String

a data type that stores a sequence of characters, numbers, or symbols as a single unit

Boolean Value

true of false; evaluates to either true or false

Logical Operators

symbols that can be used to determine two factors - &&, ||, or !

Comparison (Relational) Operators

symbols that indicate a Boolean expression - <, >, <=, >=, ==, !=

Conditional Statement

affect the sequential flow of control of executing different statements based on the value of a Boolean expression

Logical Operator

NOT, AND, and OR, which evaluate to a Boolean expression

Function (Procedure)

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

Function (Procedure) Call

a command that executes the code within a function

Correlation

a relationship between two pieces of data, typically referred to the amount that one varies in relation to the other

Metadata

data about data

Data Filtering

choosing a smaller subset of a data set to use for analysis for example by eliminating/keeping only certain rows in a table

Data Cleaning

a process that makes the data uniform without changing its meaning (e.g., replacing all equivalent abbreviations, spellings, and capitalization with the same word)

Citizen Science

research where some of the data collection is done by the members of the public using own computing devices which leads to solving scientific problems

Crowdsourcing

the practice of obtaining input or information from a large number of people via the internet

Data Bias

the systematic error introduced into data workflows and machine learning models due to inaccurate, missing, or incorrect data points

Information

processed, structured, and organized data that has been assigned meaning or context, allowing it to be understood by humans or computers

Lists

an ordered collection of elements

Index

a common method for referencing the elements in a list or string using numbers

Element

an individual value in a list that is assigned a unique index

Iteration

a repetitive portion of an algorithm which repeats a specified number of times or until a given condition is met

Infinite Loop

occurs when the ending condition will never evaluate to true. In other words, the Boolean expression will never evaluate to false

Traversal

the process of accessing each item in a list one at a time

Parameter

a variable in a function definition. Used as a placeholder for values that will be passed through the function

Argument

the value passed to the parameter

Return

used to return the flow of control to the point where the procedure (also known as a function) was called and to return the value of expression

Procedural Abstraction

extracting shared features to generalize functionality

Library

a group of functions (procedures) that may be used in creating new programs

API

Application Program Interfaces; specifications for how functions in a library behave and can be used

Modularity

the subdivision of a computer program into separate subprograms

Computing Innovation

includes a program as an integral part of its function. Can be physical (e.g. self-driving car), non-physical computing software (e.g. picture editing software), or non-physical computing concepts (e.g. e-commerce)

Personally Identifiable Information

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

Malware

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

Keylogging

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

Phishing

a technique that attempts to trick a user into providing personal information. That personal information can then be used to access sensitive online resources, such as bank account and emails

Rogue Access Point

a wireless access point that gives unauthorized access to secure networks

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, the sender does not need the receiver's private key to encrypt a message but the receiver's private key is requires to decrypt the message

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

Multifactor Authentication

a method of computer access in which a user has to successfully provide evidence in at least two of the following categories: knowledge(something they know), possession (something they have), and inherence (something they are). Each step provides a new layer of security

Computer Virus Scanning Software

protects a computing system against infection

Iteration

doing the same steps over and over

Sequencing

putting steps in an order

Algorithm

a finite set of instruction that accomplish a task

Problem

a general description of a task that can (or cannot) be solved with an algorithm

Selection

deciding which steps to do next

Linear Search

a search for algorithm that checks each element of a list, in order, until the desired value is found or all elements in the list have been checked

Binary Search

a search algorithm that starts at the middle of a sorted set of numbers and removes half of the data; this process repeats until the desired value is found or all element have been eliminated

Efficiency

a measure of how many steps are needed to complete an algorithm

Unreasonable Time

algorithms with exponential or factorial efficiencies are examples of algorithms that run in an unreasonable amount of time

Reasonable Time

algorithms with a polynomial efficiency or lower (constants, linear, square, cube, etc.) are said to run on a reasonable amount of time

Decision Problem

a computational question with a binary "yes" or "no" answer, typically based on a specific input

Optimization Problem

solving mathematical optimization problems using code (mathematical programming) or improving the efficiency of the code itself (code optimization)

Heuristic

provides a "good enough" solution to problem when an actual solution is impractical or impossible