AP CSP Vocabulary

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Program

A collection of program statements that performs a specific task when run by a computer.

Code Segment

A portion of a program consisting of one or more lines of code that performs a specific function.

Computing Innovation

A new or improved computer-based product, service, or concept that includes a program as an integral part of its function.

Collaboration

The process of working together with others to develop computing innovations.

Pair Programming

A practice where two programmers work together; one writes code (driver) and the other reviews it (navigator).

Program Documentation

A written description of a program or code and how it was developed.

Comments

Notes written in code for humans that do not affect program execution.

Syntax Error

A mistake in a program where language rules are not followed, preventing it from running.

Logic Error

A mistake that causes a program to run incorrectly or produce wrong results.

Run-time Error

An error that occurs while a program is running, causing it to crash or stop.

Overflow Error

An error when a number exceeds the maximum size the system can represent.

Testing

The process of verifying that a program works correctly.

Test Cases

Specific inputs and expected outputs used to check program correctness.

Hand Tracing

Manually stepping through code to track values and find errors.

Iterative Development Process

Repeated cycles of refinement based on feedback and testing.

Incremental Development Process

Building a program in small parts and testing each part.

Event

An action like a click or key press that triggers a response in a program.

Event-Driven Programming

A programming style where code runs in response to events.

Binary

A base-2 number system using only 0 and 1.

Bit

The smallest unit of data, either 0 or 1.

Byte

A unit of 8 bits.

Decimal

A base-10 number system using digits 0–9.

Hexadecimal

A base-16 system using 0–9 and A–F.

Abstraction

Reducing complexity by focusing on important details.

Analog Data

Continuous data that changes smoothly over time.

Digital Data

Data represented in discrete binary values.

Sampling

Measuring analog data at intervals to convert it to digital.

Lossless Data Compression

Compression with no data loss.

Lossy Data Compression

Compression with some permanent data loss.

Metadata

Data that describes other data.

Data

Information that can be processed by a computer.

Information

Meaning extracted from processed data.

Data Set

A collection of related data.

Correlation

A relationship between two variables.

Data Cleaning

Making data consistent without changing meaning.

Data Filtering

Selecting specific data based on criteria.

ASCII

A character encoding standard using 7 bits.

Unicode

A universal character encoding system.

RGB

A color model using red, green, and blue values.

Pixel

The smallest unit of a digital image.

Roundoff Error

Error from approximating real numbers in computing.

Data Type

A classification of data (e.g., integer, string, Boolean).

Integer

A whole number.

String

A sequence of characters.

Boolean

A value that is either true or false.

List

An ordered collection of elements.

Index

The position of an element in a list.

Expression

A combination of values that produces a result.

Assignment

Storing a value in a variable.

Sequencing

Executing steps in order.

Selection

Choosing which code to run based on a condition.

Iteration

Repeating code multiple times.

Procedure

A reusable block of code.

Parameter

A variable used in a procedure definition.

Argument

A value passed into a procedure.

RETURN Statement

Ends a procedure and outputs a value.

Procedural Abstraction

Using procedures to hide complexity.

Modularity

Breaking a program into smaller parts.

Software Library

A collection of reusable code.

API

Rules for using functions in a library.

Relational Operators

Symbols used to compare values (=, ≠, >,

Logical Operators

AND, OR, NOT used in Boolean logic.

MOD

Returns the remainder of division.

Nested Conditionals

Conditionals inside other conditionals.

Infinite Loop

A loop that never ends.

Linear Search

Checking each item in order to find a value.

Binary Search

Efficient search in a sorted list by halving the search space.

RANDOM(a, b)

Generates a random number between a and b.

Simulation

A model of a real-world system.

Algorithmic Efficiency

Measurement of resource usage by an algorithm.

Reasonable Time

Algorithms that run in practical time.

Unreasonable Time

Algorithms that take impractically long.

Heuristic

A method that finds a good but not guaranteed optimal solution.

Decidable Problem

A problem that can be solved by an algorithm.

Undecidable Problem

A problem with no algorithm that solves all cases.

Internet

A global network of interconnected computers.

World Wide Web

A system of linked web pages on the Internet.

Computer Network

A group of connected computing devices.

Computing Device

A device that can run programs.

Packet

A small unit of data sent over a network.

Routing

Finding a path for data to travel.

Bandwidth

The amount of data transmitted over time.

Protocol

Rules for communication between devices.

TCP

Ensures reliable data delivery.

IP

Routes data between devices.

IP Address

A unique identifier for a device.

UDP

Faster but less reliable data transmission.

HTTP/HTTPS

Protocols for web communication.

DNS

Translates domain names into IP addresses.

Router

Directs data between networks.

Scalability

Ability to handle growth.

Fault Tolerance

Ability to keep working despite failures.

Redundancy

Having backup components or paths.

Sequential Computing

Tasks done one at a time.

Parallel Computing

Tasks done simultaneously.

Distributed Computing

Tasks shared across multiple devices.

Speedup

Measure of performance improvement from parallelism.

Digital Divide

Gap in access to technology.

Bias (Computing)

Systematic unfairness in algorithms or data.

Crowdsourcing

Getting input from many people online.