AP Computer Science Principles Vocab

Abstraction

process of removing unnecessary details to focus on essential ones

Algorithm

set of steps to do a task or solve a problem

Analog Data

continuous series of data values that change smoothly over time

API (Application Programming Interface)

define how other programs can interface or interact with their programming module or application

Argument

hold a value that is passed to a procedure when it is called

can be - constant; variable; or an experssion to evaluate

Arithmetic Operators

symbols used in programs for mathematical operations

• - addition

• subtraction

• - multiplication

/ - division

MOD - remainder after dividing

Assignment Statement

states a value in a variable.

The right side is evaluated and the result is stores in the left side variable

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Authentication

verifying users requesting access to a system before providing admittance

Bandwidth

measures the amount of data that can be sent over a network in a fixed amount of time

Bias

discrimination for or against certain groups or individuals

Binary Number System

uses values 0 and 1 and is used by computers at the lowest level to execute code

Binary Search

algorithm that uses a "divide and conquer" process.

• must be sorted

each iteration starts in the middle; then determining if the value is higher or lower, the half that is not included will be not used in the continued iteration

Bit

binary digit, which can only be 0 or 1

Boolean Values

can be only true or false

Byte

made up of 8 bits

Certificate Authority (CA)

issues a digital certification that verifies that the data encryption code belongs to the organization

• enables transfer of confidential data

Citizen Scientist

volunteers who work with a scientific team to help colelct or review data from their home, that can be in a separate location than the scientific team

Clarity

how easy it is to understand the code

Classifying Data

process of identifying incomplete or duplicate data and ensuring that the data is all uniform (same style like St. or street) without changing the meaning of the data

Code Segment

can be a single line or a collection of lines of code that are part of a program

Code Statement

sections of a program with an action to be executed

Collaboration

people working together to produce a quality product

Comments

used to document a program internally

Computer Virus

spread by attaching itself to a valid file

can then replicate and spread by wither collecting or destroying data/programs

Computing Device

piece of equipment that can run a computer program

Computing Network

collection of computing devices that can send and recieve data

Computing System

multiple computing devices and programs work together for a specific purpose

Concatenation

when strings are join or "glues" together to form a new string

Condition

use relational operators (

Creative Common Licensing

allows creators to assign different levels of copyright access to their intellectual property

Crowdfunding

uses resources like the Internet to ask people globally to donate money to help fund the project they need

Crowdsourcing

provides opportunities or anyone with access to a site to participate in various ways: providing feedback; help solve problems; offering funding

Cybersecurity

protects our computing devices and networks from attacks and unauthorized access

Data Abstraction

assigning a data value to a list

Data Mining

analyzes large data sets to search for patterns that can lead to new insights for the organization

Data Stream

segments of data packages in packets through a network such as the Internet

Debugging

finding and correcting errors in a program

Decidable Problem

when an alogorithm can be created that provides a yes or no answer for all instances of the problem

Decision Problem

only needs a yes or no answer

Decryption

process of deciphering an encrypted message so it can be read

Digital Data

made up of discrete data values

Digital Divide

describes those who lack access to the Internet based on location, economic, or accessibility reasons

Distributed Computing System

multiple computers are used to process a program or application

(e. Internet)

Efficiency

measures the amount of resources, such as memory and time, it takes to run

Element

each data value in a list is an element. it is referenced through its index

Encryption

process of converting data into a coded format

Event-driven programming

when a program operates in a wait state and an action, such as pressing a button, provides input and triggers a section of code to run

(ex. pressing the green flag) - this triggers the start of the program

Expression

combination of variables or values and operation to be performed on them

Fault-tolerant

system, like the Internet, is fault-tolerant when redundancy is built in to ensure processing can occur even when sections of the system are not working

Filtering Data

involves selecting a subset of data, sometimes based on its classifications, to use for further analysis

Heuristic

a solution to a problem that is not optimal or the best but is close enough to work, especially when the optimal solution is unreasonable

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

the World Wide Web uses this to send requested web pages across the Internet

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)

provides the secure processing of a web page.

important to check for before sending personal data (credit card info)

Incremental Development Process

create small goals and later combine them together with the other completed goals to finish the project

Information

data that has been analyzed and has meaning applied to it

Intellectual Property

anything a person creates using a computer is the intellectual property of that person

Internet Protocol Address (IP Address)

addresses a unique number assigned each time a devie connects to the Internet. It is how the network knows where to find your devidce to recieve and send requested information.

Iterative

means to repeat a code a specific number of times, or until a condition is true using a loop structure

Iterative Development Process

repeats the steps of coding, testing, and feedback to refine a section of code until it is complete

Keylogging

malware that captures keystrokes and stores them in a file that is later transmitted to whoever planted the software

Library

collection of programs where the executable code is made available to other programmers.

Linear Search

sequential search of a dataset. Starts at the beginning and checks each value to see if it matches the target value being sought.

lists

collection of data values stored in one variable. Each data value, or element, is referenced by its index position

Logic Error

occurs when the code runs but produces incorrect results

Logical Operators

AND, OR, and NOT and are used to create more complex conditions that evalutate to a Boolean Value (true/false)

Lossles Data Compression

technique to make files smaller and allows the original file to be RESTORED when the data is decompressed

Lossy Data Compression

can acheive more compression than loseless, but some data is lost and the original file CANNOT be restored

Malware

stands for malicious software and includes anything placed on a device, unknown to the owner, for destructive purposes

Metadata

data about data, such as the author of a document. used to help organize and find data

Modularity

style of programming that breaks the requirements into smaller pieces until each module does a specific task or set of tasks

Modulus

this operation provides only the remainder after dividing

Multifactor authentication

uses more than one method to ensure someone trying to access an account should be granted access.

Open Access

data that is open access is freely available online with limited, if any, copyright restrictions

Open Source

software is avilable for anyone to use or modify without restrictions

Optimization Problem

attempts to find the best solution for the problem

Overflow Error

occurs when a number is too large for the number of bits the programming language allocates for it.

Packets

created by breaking data into same size segments. A header is created with the sending and receiving IP addresses, the size of the packet, and its position in the reassembled data stream

Parallel Computing System

uses multiple computers to process a section of a program at the same time.

Parameter

used to accept data values into a procedure. The values are sent through arguments when the procedure is called

Patterns In Data

raw data is analyzed for patterns to help gain insights into its meaning

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

any information that identifies you

Phishing

uses messages and websites that look like another organization's official sire to fool users into clicking on it and entering information (passwords and account data)

Plagiarism

copying information or computational artifacts without diret permission from the owner/creator or without permission via the use Creative Common licensing

Procedural Abstraction

a technique where complex code is broken down into smaller, manageable units called procedures or functions

Procedure

defined block of code that does a specific task or tasks. Does not run in a program until it is called in the program, and it can be called as many times as needed