APCSP.Terminology Review

Algorithm

A precise sequence of instructions for processes that can be implemented in a programming language and executed by a computer.

Control Structure

one or more programming language statements that control the flow of a computer program. Examples: If/Else structure or a loop structure.

Computer

a machine that processes information under the control of a program.

Program

sequence of instructions that control the computer. To run, it must be loaded into the computer's memory where the CPU executes it one instruction at a time.

Hardware

the computer's electronic and mechanical components.

Software

the programs that control computers

General purpose computer

a computer that can run many different programs (e.g. a smartphone).

Special purpose computer

a computer that has a fixed program ( e.g. a calculator, a watch, a car's brakes)

Memory

physical device used to store information for use in a computer or other digital electronic device( e.g. disk drive, flash drive)

RAM

Random Access Memory- also called main memory stores the computer's programs and data temporarily while power is on.

CPU

Central Processing Unit is the hardware that carries out the instructions of a computer program. It is made up of 3 main parts: the control unit (CU), the arithmetic and register. The CU processes the program's instructions, the ALU (arithmetic logic unit) performs the arithmetic and logic operations and the register stores intermediate data during program execution.

Input devices

bring data and programs into the computer (e.g. mouse, keyboard)

Output devices

transmit data to other computers to users (e.g. printer, monitor, speaker)

Motherboard

houses the computer's main electronic components

Chips

the computer's electrical components are composed of these very tiny integrated circuits.

Integrated circuit

packed with millions of electronic components

Bit

a binary digit, the smallest unit of data, a 1 or a 0.

Byte

is equal to 8 bits.

High-level language

a programming language that is human readable (app inventor) and provides the programmer with easy to understand abstractions.

Machine language (or low-level language)

a programming language that is machine readable (binary code), closer to the machine hardware and provides abstractions that are difficult for the programmer to understand.

Compiler

a software that translates source code (human readable) into binary code.

Applications

program or group of programs designed for end users such as Firefox, Excel, Word, etc.

Operating System

is a collection of computer software that manages hardware resources and provides common services for computer programs. MacOS, Windows, Android, Linux, iOS are examples.

Abstraction

a general representation that stands for some collection of individual instances.

Constant

an abstraction that represents a single thing, e.g., the value 5 - something that doesn't change.

Variable

A symbol that can be used to represent any number and is therefore more general and more abstract than a constant.

Data Abstraction

the practice of organizing and encapsulating certain data into a more general representation. An example would be storing the text 'hello' in a single variable rather than having numerous occurrences of 'hello' in a program.

Procedural Abstraction

the practice of organizing and encapsulating algorithms in named procedures that can then be invoked by name. An example would be the 'sqrt(x)', square root of x, which encapsulates the algorithm for calculating the square root of x.

Iteration/Repetition

A repetition structure, iteration or loop, is used when a program needs to repeatedly process one or more instructions until some condition is met, at which time the loop ends.

Selection

In a selection structure, a question is asked, and depending on the answer, the program takes one of two courses of action, after which the program moves on to the next event.

Sequence

The sequence control structure is simple a sequence of one or more statements in a computer program

Event-Driven Programming

a programming approach whereby the program's behavior is controlled by writing code that responds to various events that occur, such as Button clicks.

Binary Number

a number written in the binary system, a system that uses only two digits, 0s and 1s.

blacklist

in internet terminology, a generic term for a list of email addresses or IP addresses that are origination with known spammers

character

any symbol that requires one byte of storage

cyberspace

a metaphor for describing the non-physical terrain created by computer systems

data

distinct information that is formatted in a special way. Data exists in a variety of forms, like text on paper or bytes stored in electronic memory.

data center

physical or virtual infrastructures used by enterprises to house computer, server and networking systems and components for the company's IT (information technology) needs

data network

a telecommunications network which allows computers to exchange data

disk drive

a randomly addressable and rewritable storage device

intellectual property

refers to any property that is created using original thought. Traditional intellectual property include patents, copyrights, and trademarks.

Moore's Law

The number of transistors per square inch on integrated circuits has doubled every year since the integrated circuit was invented.

network

a group of two or more computer systems linked together

social networking

a social structure made of nodes that are generally individuals or organizations. A social network represents relationships and flows between people, groups, organizations, animals, computers, or other information/knowledge processing entities

whitelist

a generic name for a list of email address or IP addresses that are considered to be spam free

User Interface

everything designed into a device with which a human being may interact -- including display screen, keyboard, mouse, light pen, the appearance of a desktop, illuminated characters, etc.

Internet

global public network of independent and autonomous networks that are governed by the Internet Protocol Suite.

World Wide Web

An Internet application that is based on the HTTP protocol.

protocol

a system of rules that govern the behavior of some system.

TCP/IP ((Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol)

the suite a protocols that determine the behavior of the Internet.

HTTP (HyperText Transfer Protocol)

the protocol that controls the behavior of the Web.

Open standard

a standard (such as TCP, HTTP) that is not owned or controlled by a private entity. It stands in contrast to 'proprietary' materials', which are owned or controlled by a private entity.

Computational Artifact

anything created by a human using a computer.

flowchart

a visual (i.e. graphical) notation for expressing algorithms.

Boolean

a true/false condition

Pseudocode

a notation for expressing algorithms, which is more precise that ordinary English but less formal than a programming language.

transistor

a semiconductor device used to amplify or switch electronic signals and electrical power.

the fundamental building blocks of electronic devices.

logic gate

an elementary building block of a digital circuit. Examples would be AND, OR, and NOT gates that perform basic digital operations.

integrated circuit (IC)

informally, a chip. It is an electronic circuit formed on a small piece of semiconducting material, that integrates billions of tiny transistors and logic gates.

OR gate

a circuit with two inputs and one output defined such that its output is TRUE (or ON) when either or both of its inputs are TRUE (or ON).

AND gate

a circuit with two inputs and one output defined such that its output is TRUE (or ON) only when both of its inputs are TRUE (or ON).

NOT gate

a circuit with one input and one output defined such that its output is TRUE (or ON) when its input is FALSE (or OFF) and vice versa.

flip flop (or latch)

a digital circuit that has two states, ON or OFF, that can be used to store a 1 or a 0. It is the fundamental unit of computer memory.

ASCII

a code for representing English characters as numbers, with each letter assigned a number from 0 to 127

cloud computing

comparable to grid computing, cloud computing relies on sharing resources rather than having local servers handle applications.

cryptography

the art of protecting information by transforming it into an unreadable format, called cipher text

digital

any system based on discontinuous data or events. Computers are digital machines because at the basic level they can distinguish between just two values, 0 and 1.

analog

a device or system that represents changing values as continuously variable physical quantities

digital signal processing: (DSP)

refers to manipulating analog information

download

to copy data (usually an entire file) from a main source to a peripheral device

lossless compression

data compression techniques in which no data is lost.

lossy compression

data compression techniques in which some amount of data is lost. This technique attempts to eliminate redundant information.

megabyte

used to describe data storage, 1,048,576 bytes (abbreviated MB)

megapixel

one million pixels, used in reference to the resolution of a graphics device

modeling

process of representing a real-world object of phenomenon as a set of mathematical equations.

OCR: optical character recognition

the branch of computer science that involves reading text from paper and translating the images into a form that the computer can manipulate

pixel

short for a picture element, a single point in a graphic image

raster

the rectangular area of a display screen actually being used to display images

render

refers to the process of adding realism to a computer graphics by adding 3-D qualities, such as shadows and variations in color and shade.

spam

spam is electronic junk mail or junk newsgroup postings

steganography

the art and science of hiding information by embedding messages within other, seemingly harmless messages

upload

to transmit data from a computer to a bulletin board service, mainframe, or network.

Ad Hoc

when used to describe programming, it means a quick fix for a problem, not usually the best example that will sustain an issue

Database

a collection of information organized in such a way that a computer program can quickly select the desired pieces of data. Often abbreviated DB

Data Aggregation

process in which information is gathered and expressed in a summary form for purpose such as statistical analysis

Data Mining

a class of database applications that look for hidden patterns in a group that could be used to predict future behavior

Data Repository

generically refers to a general place where data is stored and maintained

Data Sources

name given to the connection setup from a database to a server. The name is commonly used when creating a query to the database

Digital Detritus

term used to describe unsightly debris that accrues as the result of the experience of digital living

Dossier

a collection of documents about a person, event, or subject

EDR

event data recorder

Encode

the phrase used to describe the method of preparing data for storage or transmission

encryption

the translation of the data into secret code

IP

an identifier for devices on a TCP/IP network

Metadata

data about data; describes how and when and by whom a particular set of data was collected, and how data is formatted

Query

a request for information from a database

RFID

radio frequency identification, similar to barcodes