APCSP final vocab review

Collaboration

People working together and sharing ideas to create or improve a program.

Program documentation

Written notes that explain what a program or code segment does and how to use it.

Comments

Notes inside code meant for humans, ignored by the computer, explaining how or why the code works.

Program

A set of instructions a computer follows to complete a task.

Software

Programs that run on hardware devices.

Program purpose

The overall goal or problem the program is meant to solve.

Program function

The specific behavior or task the program actually performs (what it does with inputs and outputs).

Program requirements

The conditions or features a program must have to meet the user’s needs.

Event

An action that triggers code, like a mouse click or key press.

Program inputs

Data sent into a program for it to process (clicks, text, sensor data, etc.).

Program outputs

Data a program sends out, like text on screen, sounds, or lights.

Code segment

A small part of a program, such as a few lines or a function.

Designing

Planning what a program should do and how it will be structured before fully coding it.

Iterative development

Improving a program through repeated cycles of coding, testing, and revising.

Incremental development

Building a program in small pieces, adding and testing a bit at a time.

Diagramming

Using diagrams to plan how parts of a program fit together.

Prototyping

Making a simple early version of a program or interface to test ideas.

Testing

Running a program with different inputs to check if it works correctly.

Debugging

Finding and fixing errors in code so the program behaves as intended.

Flow chart diagrams

Diagrams that show the steps and decisions in an algorithm using arrows and boxes.

User testing

Having real users try the program and give feedback to improve it.

Logic error

Code that runs but produces the wrong result because the algorithm is wrong.

Syntax error

A mistake in code rules (like missing parentheses) that stops the program from running.

Run-time error

An error that occurs while the program is running, such as dividing by zero.

Overflow error

An error when a number is too large to store in the available bits.

Round-off error

Small inaccuracy when a number cannot be represented exactly in binary.

Hand tracing

Simulating code by hand, line by line, to track variable values and outputs.

Output statements

Lines of code that display or send data out (like print statements).

Test cases

Specific sets of inputs and expected outputs used to check correctness.

Abstraction

Hiding details to focus on the main idea, like representing a song as a file instead of all its voltages.

Analog data

Continuous data (like real sound waves or light) that can take any value in a range.

Sampling technique

The way analog data is measured at regular intervals to create digital data.

Samples

Individual measurements taken from analog data at specific times.

Bit

The smallest unit of data, a 0 or 1.

Byte

A group of 8 bits.

Binary (base-2)

Number system that uses only 0 and 1.

Hexadecimal (base-16)

Number system that uses 0–9 and A–F to represent values.

Data compression

Reducing the size of data so it uses fewer bits.

Lossless data compression

Compression that lets you perfectly reconstruct the original data.

Lossy data compression

Compression that loses some detail but makes the file much smaller.

Information

Data that has been processed or given context so it is meaningful.

Metadata

Data about data, like the file size or date of a photo.

Data bias

When data collected or used is unbalanced or unfair, leading to biased conclusions.

Cleaning data

Fixing or removing wrong, duplicate, or missing data before analysis.

Correlation

When two variables appear to change together (but one does not necessarily cause the other).

Transforming data

Changing data format or structure to make it easier to analyze.

Filtering data

Keeping only the data that matches certain conditions.

Combining data

Joining multiple data sets together.

Visualizing data

Showing data with charts, graphs, or maps to see patterns.

Variable

A named storage location that can hold a value that may change.

Data types

Categories of data like number, Boolean, string, list, etc.

Assignment operator

Symbol (like =) that stores a value into a variable.

Data abstraction

Using collections (like lists) to manage complex data more simply.

List

An ordered collection of elements, referenced by index.

Element

An individual item stored in a list.

Index

The position of an element in a list (AP uses 1-based in pseudocode).

String

A sequence of characters (letters, digits, symbols).

Array

Another term for a list-like collection indexed by position.

Algorithm

A finite set of steps that accomplish a specific task.

Sequencing

Running steps in order, one after another.

Code statement

A single instruction in a program.

Expression

A combination of values, variables, and operators that produces a result.

Relational operators

Operators like

Modulo operator

Operator that gives the remainder after division (like 7 mod 3 = 1).

String concatenation

Joining two strings end-to-end.

Substring

A smaller string taken from part of a larger string.

Boolean value

A value that is either true or false.

NOT operator

Flips a Boolean value from true to false or false to true.

AND operator

True only if both conditions are true.

OR operator

True if at least one condition is true.

Selection

Using conditions to decide which code path to run (if/else).

Conditional statement

A statement that runs code only if a condition is true.

IF statement

Runs code when a condition is true.

ELSE statement

Runs alternate code when the IF condition is false.

Nested conditionals

An IF/ELSE inside another IF/ELSE.

Iteration

Repeating steps using loops.

FOR loop

Loop that repeats a set number of times or over each element in a list.

WHILE loop

Loop that repeats while a condition remains true.

List traversal

Visiting each element in a list, often using a loop.

Linear search

Checking each element in a list one by one until you find a match.

Binary search

Repeatedly splitting a sorted list in half to find a value faster.

Procedure

A named block of code that performs a specific task.

Method / function

Another name for a procedure that can return a value.

Procedure call

Code that runs a procedure by name.

Parameter

A variable in the procedure definition that accepts input.

Argument

The actual value passed into a parameter when calling a procedure.

Return statement

Statement that sends a value back from a function and ends it.

Procedural abstraction

Using procedures to hide how something works and just call it by name.

Modularity

Breaking a program into separate, reusable pieces (modules).

Software libraries

Collections of prewritten procedures you can call in your program.

APIs: Application Programming Interfaces

Descriptions of library procedures and how to call them.

Simulation

A program that models a real or imagined system to study its behavior.

Random number generators (RNG)

Tools that generate pseudo-random values for simulations or games.

Problem

A task or question you want a program or algorithm to solve.

Instance

A specific example or input of a general problem.

Decision problem

A problem whose answer is yes/no.

Optimization problem

A problem that asks for the “best” solution under some rules.

Algorithmic efficiency

How well an algorithm uses time and space as input size grows.

Reasonable time

Grows at a manageable rate (like polynomial time) as input increases.

Unreasonable time

Grows too fast (like exponential) to run for large inputs.