APCSP Exam Vocab

Byte

8 bits

Binary Number

number represented with base 2 number system, 1 (on) or 0 (off), can represent some fractions using negative exponents

Bit

one piece of information that is 1 or 0, binary digit, smallest unit of data in a computer

Nibble

binary half byte, ½ byte or 4 bits

Hexadecimal

a base 16 number system using digits 0-9 and letters A-F representing values, used to represent digital data because it utilizes fewer digits than binary.

Decimal

a base-10 number system that uses digits from 0 to 9

Overflow Error

error from attempting to represent a number that is too large 

Rounding Off Error

mathematical miscalculation or error caused by altering a number to an integer or one with fewer decimals to fit into the format; error from attempting to represent a number that is too precise, the value is rounded

Sampling

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 (music, colors of a painting, or position of a sprinter during a race)

Pixel

A pixel is one of the small discrete elements that makes up a digital image 

Digital Data

data that changes discreetly through a finite set of possible values, digital is more reliable when saving things 

Lossless Compression

process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something without losing any info, this process is reversible 

Ex: Morse Code, text

Lossy Compression

process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something in which some information is lost/thrown away, process is not reversible, results in smaller compressed files

EX: images, music, sound, video

Intellectual Property

creations of the mind, like inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, and images used in commerce, protected by patents, copyrights, trademarks

Creative Commons

public copyright license that enables creators to pre-approve certain uses of their copyrighted works by others

Computing System

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

Computing Device

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

Computing Network

group of interconnected computing devices capable of sending or receiving data

Path

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

Bandwith

maximum amount of data that can be sent in through a channel or network in a fixed amount of time usually measured in bits/second, determines how quickly you can save and upload files fro internet

Topology

how computers are connected to each other (tree, bus, star)

Protocol

an agreed-upon set of rules that specify behavior of some system 

IP Address

temporary identifier for each interface, unique among the connected devices on that network, aka logical address of a device 

Internet Protocol (IP)

protocol for sending data across the internet that assigns unique numbers to each connected device 

Mac Address

Unique identifier for each networking device, assigned during manufacturing, aka physical address of device 

Router

computing devices along a path that send the information along to the next stop on the path

Redundancy

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

User Data Protocol (UDP)

protocol for sending packets quickly with minimal error-checking and no resending of dropped packets, saves on time needed to retransmit missing packets

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

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

(how computers send packets of data to each other)

Packet

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

Datastream

information passed through the internet in packets

Pocket Metadata

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

Scalability

capacity for the system to change in size and scale to meet new demands, capacity to increase services and products quickly with minimal interruption and cost

World Wide Web

system of linked pages, programs and files, World Wide Web is different from the Internet, the WWW are files, web pages and media (Internet is the network we use to access those files)

Domain Name System (DNS)

system responsible for translating domain names like example.com into IP addresses, important in helping the internet scale

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

the inequitable access to information and communication technologies (ICTs), including computers, the internet, and digital literacy skills.

User Interface

The inputs and outs that allow a user to interact with a piece of software

Input

data that are sent to a computer for processing by a program 

Output

 any data that are sent from a program to a device 

Documentation

written materials, such as user manuals or technical guides, that provide information about how to use and maintain a software program.

Comment

annotations within source code that programmers write for themselves or others working on the code.

Sequential Programming

Program statements run in order from top to bottom, No user interaction, Code runs the same way every time  

Debugging

the process of finding and fixing errors (bugs) in code so that it runs as intended

Pair Programming

a collaborative approach where two students work together on a single computer, sharing one keyboard and mouse, to develop a program

Expression

Combination of operators and values that evaluates to a single value 

Assignment Operators

allows a program to change value represented by a variable 

Variable

holds one value at a time, must be on left side and arrow must point left

String

sequence of ASCII characters, can store strings in variable just like a number, denoted with quotation marks around the string field, considered text so CAN’T be used in calculations

Only plus sign = concatenation (adding variables)  

Logical Operator

&& AND 

I I Or 

! NOT

symbol/word to connect 2 expressions, combines boolean expressions or values to produce a single boolean output

Conditional Statement

if/else statement, allows a program to make decisions based on a Boolean expression

Comparison Operator

compare values and return a boolean value (true, false), ==(equal to), != (not equal to), > (greater than), < (less than), >= (greater than or equal to), <= (less than or equal to).

Boolean Value

True or false; Can include logical operators (and or not), type of information so they can be evaluated in a Boolean expression 

Relational Operators

clue that we need to STOP and evaluate for a Boolean value

Examples: >, <, ==, =>, <=, ! (not equal to)

Function (procedure)

named group of programming instructions, also referred to as a “procedure”, only executed when called by program

Function (procedure) Call

command that executes the code within a function (when called will pause, execute code, once done control returns back to the line of code where the call occurred), modifies the sequential flow of the program

Correlation

Correlation (similarities, patterns) does not equal causation (this thing caused that thing) 

Metadata

data/information about data you have, can be changed without impacting primary data, Use for finding, managing and organizing information, Increases effective use of data by providing extra information, Allows data to be structures and organized

Data Cleaning

process of identifying and correcting or removing errors, inconsistencies, and inaccuracies in a dataset

Data Filtering

allows the user to look at a subset of the data, programs with built in tools (like the data visualizer) can also be used

Cross Tab

count how often pairs of values appear in two columns

Big Data

Extremely large data sets that may be analyzed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behavior and interactions. (volume, velocity, variety)

Crowdsourcing

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

Citizen Science

research where some of the data collection is done by members of the public using own computing devices which leads to solving scientific problems, scientists share data and ask “citizen scientists,” to look for and report on patterns or other interesting features of the data or to “donate” computer time during periods of time their machine is inactive

Open Data

Sharing data with others so they can analyze it, it is publicly available data shared by governments, organizations and others; helps spread useful knowledge or creates opportunities for others to use it to solve problems

Data Bias

systematic errors or prejudices present in a dataset that can lead to inaccurate or unfair conclusions when analyzing the data.

Information

data that has been processed and given meaning, making it useful for understanding and decision-making

Lists

an ordered collection of elements, length of list is how many elements it contains, lists can shrink as elements are added/removed, lists start at index 0 and end at (length - 1)

Index

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

Element

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

Data Abstraction

organizing and encapsulating certain data into a more general representation

Iteration

repetitive portion of an algorithm which repeats a specified number of times or until a given condition is met (for loop, while loop, repeat until loop)

Infinite Loop

Loop that runs forever or infinitely 

For Loop

Used for known quantity when you know the start and stop 

While Loop

uzsable for anything 

Traversal

access each item in a list one at a time by using a for loop, traveling or traversing through a list one element at a time

Argument

the value that is passed to parameter

Return

does 2 things:

1) to end a procedure before the end of the code is reached (no other code in the procedure will be executed after the return statement)

2) other use is to send a value back to the calling program

(stops the flow of the function, if a return is inside of a conditional, if that condition is met the function ends here and then it returns a value to the place where the function was called)

functions only return one value at a time

Parameter

variable in a function definition, used as a placeholder for values that will be passed through the function, makes procedure more flexible b/c can be used for many values

Procedural Abstraction

extracting shared features to generalize functionality, process that allows a procedure to be used only knowing what it does, not how it does, allows a solution to a large problem to be based on the solution of smaller subproblems (only need to know name, parameters and output)

Library

Collection of functions that can be used in many different programs (how each function works, complete list of the parameters, what will be returned)

API: Application Program Interface

specifications for how the functions in a library behave and can be used 

Modularity

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

Computing Innovation

includes a program as an integral part of its function, can be physical (self driving car), non physical computing software (picture editing software), or non physical computing concepts (ecommerce)

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

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

Keylogging

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

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

Malware

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

Rogue Access Point

a wireless access point that gives unauthorized access to secure networks

DDOS: Distributed Denial of Service

attack to make a website or online service unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic from multiple sources, typically a virus installed on many computers (thousands) activate at the same time

Decryption

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

Encryption

A process of encoding messages to keep them secret so only “authorized” parties can read it

BotNet

a network of private computers infected with malicious software and controlled as a group without the owners' knowledge (to send spam messages)

Public Key (Asymmetric Encryption)

Pairs a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption, the sender doesn’t need the receiver’s private key to encrypt the message, not the but the receiver’s private key is required to decrypt the message computers use asymmetric keys

Cipher

generic term for a technique or algorithm that performs encryption 

Caesar’s Cipher

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 specific of the cipher you are trying to crack the encryption

Multi-Factor Authentication

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)