AP Comp Sci terms

Prototype

Original drawing from which something real might be built or created.

Computing innovation

A new or improved technology, system, or concept where a computer program and data processing are central to its core function.

Data

Raw, unprocessed facts

Information

Data that is analysed to become processed, organized, and structured to give meaning, context, and value to raw facts.

Binary

A way of representing information using only two options.

Bit

A contraction of “binary digit”; the single unit of information of a computer, typically represented as a zero or one.

Byte

8 bits

Decimal

A way of representing information using only ten options.

Overflow error

Error from attempting to represent a number that is too large.

Round-off error

Error from attempting to represent a number that is too precise. The value is rounded.

ASCII

American Standard Code for Information Interchange

Abstraction

The process of simplifying complexity by focusing on essential features while hiding unnecessary details.

Pixel

The smallest individual unit of a digital image or display, functioning as a tiny dot or square that can show a different color. Pixels are arranged in two-dimensional to form the complete images seen on computer monitors and other digital screens. The number of pixels on a screen, known as its resolution, determines the clarity and detail of the image.

Resolution

The number of pixels on a screen

Analog Data

Data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time. Some examples of analog data include music, colors of a painting, or position of a sprinter during a race.

Digital Data

Data that changes discretely through a finite set of possible values

Sampling

A process for creating a digital representation of analog data by measuring the analog data at regular intervals called samples.

Lossless Compression

A process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something without losing any information. This process is reversible.

Lossy Compression

A process for reducing the number of bits needed to represent something in which some information is lost or thrown away. This process is not reversible.

Creative Commons 

A collection of public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work, used when an author wants to give people the right to share, use, and build upon a work that they have created

Intellectual Property

A work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a piece of writing or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.