APCSP Practice

Abstraction

Simplifying complex systems by focusing on essential details and hiding unnecessary complexity.

AND

A Boolean operator where ALL conditions must be true for the result to be true.

Application

Software designed for end users to perform specific tasks.

ARPANET

Advanced Research Projects Agency Network; the first network to use TCP/IP.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange; a 7-bit character encoding standard.

Asymmetric Key Encryption

Encryption using two different keys: a public key and a private key.

Bandwidth

The maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over a network in a given time.

Big Data

Datasets so large or complex that traditional methods cannot process them effectively.

Binary

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

Binary Search

A search algorithm that repeatedly divides a sorted list in half.

Bit

The smallest unit of data in computing, representing a 0 or 1.

Boolean Logic

A system of logic using true/false values and operators like AND, OR, and NOT.

Byte

A unit of data equal to 8 bits.

Caesar Cipher

A substitution cipher that shifts each letter by a fixed number of positions.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The brain of the computer that processes instructions.

Certificate Authority (CA)

An organization that issues digital certificates.

Cipher

An algorithm used to encrypt or decrypt data.

Citizen Science

Scientific research conducted with the participation of the general public.

Client

A computer or program that requests services from a server.

Cloud Computing

Storing and accessing data and programs over the Internet.

Computationally Hard

A problem for which no efficient algorithm is known.

Computer

An electronic device that processes data according to a set of instructions.

Constant

A named value that cannot be changed during program execution.

Copyright

Legal protection for original works of authorship.

Crowdsourcing

Obtaining input, ideas, or services from a large group of people via the Internet.

Data Abstraction

Managing complexity by using collections (like lists) to represent related data.

Datagrams

Data units used by UDP; sent without guaranteed delivery or order.

DDoS

Distributed Denial of Service; an attack that floods a server with traffic.

Debugging

The process of finding and fixing errors in a program.

Decimal

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

Decryption

Converting encrypted data back to its original form using a key.

Design-Implement-Test

The iterative development cycle: plan, build, and verify software.

Digital Certificate

An electronic document that verifies the identity of a website.

Digital Divide

The gap between those who have access to technology and those who do not.

Digital Signature

A cryptographic technique that verifies the authenticity of a message.

Distributed Computing

A system where multiple computers work together to solve a problem.

DNS

Domain Name System; translates domain names into IP addresses.

Domain Name

A human-readable address for a website.

Encryption

Converting data into a coded form to prevent unauthorized access.

Ethical Computing

Applying principles and standards to do what is right with technology.

EULA

End-User License Agreement; a legal contract between software provider and user.

Fault-Tolerant

A system that can continue operating when some components fail.

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

A visual interface using icons, menus, and windows.

Hacker

A person who uses technical skills to gain unauthorized access to systems.

Hardware

The physical components of a computer.

Heuristic Approach

A practical shortcut to find a good-enough solution when optimal is impractical.

Hexadecimal

A base-16 number system using digits 0-9 and letters A-F.

HTML

HyperText Markup Language; the standard markup language for web pages.

HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol; the protocol for transmitting web pages.

HTTPS

HTTP Secure; encrypted version of HTTP using TLS/SSL.

Incremental

Building software in small steps or chunks.

Input and Output (I/O) Devices

Hardware used to send or receive data from a computer.

Internet

A global network of interconnected networks using TCP/IP.

IP

Internet Protocol; rules for addressing and routing packets.

IP Address

A unique number assigned to each device on the Internet.

IPv4

Internet Protocol version 4; 32-bit addresses.

IPv6

Internet Protocol version 6; 128-bit addresses (virtually unlimited).

ISP

Internet Service Provider; a company that provides Internet access.

Iterative

A process of continuously repeating steps to refine and improve.

Key

A value used in encryption and decryption to transform data.

Linear Search

A search algorithm that checks each element one by one.

Logical Error

A programming error where the program runs but produces incorrect results.

Lossless

Compression that reduces file size without losing any data.

Lossy

Compression that reduces file size by permanently removing some data.

Main Memory

RAM; fast, volatile memory for data currently being processed.

Malware

Malicious software designed to harm or compromise a computer system.

Metadata

Data about data (e.g., date a photo was taken, author of a document).

Modular Arithmetic

Arithmetic where numbers wrap around after reaching a modulus (clock math).

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)

Security requiring two or more forms of verification.

Name Server

A server that stores domain names and their IP addresses.

Network

A group of computers connected to share resources.

One-way Function

A function that is easy to compute but extremely difficult to reverse.

Operating System

System software that manages hardware and provides a platform for applications.

OR

A Boolean operator where ANY condition being true makes the result true.

Overflow Error

An error when a number exceeds the defined range for its data type.

Packets

Small, numbered chunks of data used in TCP.

Parallel Computing

Using multiple processors simultaneously to solve a problem.

Peripherals

External devices connected to a computer.

Phishing

A social engineering attack that tricks users into revealing sensitive information.

Pixel

The smallest unit of a digital image.

Privacy

How personal information is collected, stored, and shared.

Private Key

A secret key used in asymmetric encryption to decrypt data.

Procedural Abstraction

Creating procedures/functions to simplify and organize code.

Protocol

A set of rules governing how data is transmitted over a network.

Public Key

A key shared openly in asymmetric encryption, used to encrypt data.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Fast, volatile memory for storing data currently in use.

Redundancy

Extra components or pathways to ensure continued operation if one fails.

Reliable

A protocol that guarantees data delivery in order (like TCP).

RGB

Red, Green, Blue; a color model used to represent colors digitally.

Root Name Server

One of 13 servers at the top of the DNS hierarchy.

Round-off Error

An error caused by the approximation of real numbers.

Router

A device that directs network traffic between different networks.

Run-Length Encoding

A lossless compression technique using counts of repeated values.

Run-time Error

An error that occurs during program execution.

Secondary Memory

Non-volatile storage (hard drive, SSD) for permanent data.

Second-Level Domain

The part of a domain name directly left of the TLD.

Security

Steps taken to protect data from unauthorized access.

Selection

A programming structure using conditions to choose code paths (if/else).

Sequence

A programming structure where code runs line by line in order.

Sequential Computing

Processing tasks one after another (not in parallel).