AP Computer Science Exam Vocab

The Internet

is a network of computing networks that is used for different locations to communicate with each other

Net Neutrality

the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally by Internet Service Providers (ISP).

Digital Divide

the gap between those who benefit from the Digital Age and those who don't.

Internet Censorship

control or suppression of what can be accessed, published, or viewed on the Internet enacted by regulators.

Computing Device

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

Path

is connections between computing devices on a network starting with a sender and ending with a receiver

Bandwidth

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

Copper cabling

bits transmitted via electricity

Fiber Optic Cable

bits transmitted via light

WiFi

bits transmitted via radio waves

Latency

is the time it takes for a bit to travel from its sender to its receiver.

Protocol

is a well known set of rules and standards on how to handle the information

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol)

is the set of rules for transferring files such as text, images, sound, video and other multimedia files over the web.

Domain Name System

is a system that can associate names with corresponding addresses

World Wide Web

refers to all the public websites or pages that users can access on their local computers and other devices through the internet.

DNS Spoofing

hacking into a DNS server and changing the IP addresses to send users to a fake website

Packets

are small chunks of information that have been carefully formed from larger chunks of information. They do NOT travel together when transferred.

TCP (Also called TCP/IP) Transmission Control Protocol

provides reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of a stream of packets on the internet. It puts all the tiny data packets back together.

Redundancy/ Network Redundancy

is 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

is when a system can continue to function even in the event of individual components failures. This is important because elements of complex systems like a computer network fail at unexpected times, often in groups

Integer

is a whole number data type

Boolean

is a True or False data type

Float

is a decimal data type

String

is a series of text data type

Parameter

acts as a placeholder when the function is created and will take in a specific value when the function is called

Argument

is the actual value for a parameter

Cybersecurity

Use of techniques or skills to protect data, networks, and systems from attacks

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 accounts and emails.

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

Malware

Software intended to damage a computing system or to take partial control over its operation (short for malicious software)

Rogue Access Point

A wireless access point that gives unauthorized access to secure networks.

Multi Factor Authentication

Requires more than one distinct authentication factor for successful authentication.

HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol - the protocol used for transmitting web pages over the Internet. Send 'get requests' to worldwide servers for websites and HTML code is sent in response.

Computer Virus Scanning Software (Anti-virus software)

Protects a computing system against infection.

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.

Caesar's Cipher

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

Cracking encryption

When you attempt to decode a secret message without knowing all the specifics of the cipher.

Symmetric Encryption

Involves one key for both encryption and decryption.

Asymmetric Encryption (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 required to decrypt the message.

Certificate Authority

Is an organization that acts to validate the identities of entities and binds them to cryptographic keys through the issuance of electronic documents known as digital certificates.

Digital Certificate

An electronic document that is tied to a cryptographic key pair and authenticates the identity of a website, individual, organization, user, device or server.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layers)

Uses encryption for transfer of data.

TLS

Transport Layer Security encrypts data sent over the Internet to ensure that eavesdroppers and hackers are unable to see what you transmit. (Improved SSL)

Protocol

Is a well known set of rules and standards on how to handle the information.

Linear Search

Checks each element in the list until a target value is found.

Binary Search

Checks the midpoint value in the list and compares the target value to the midpoint value.

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.

Metadata

Data about data.