CPE 206 Data Structures & Algorithms - Introductory Concepts

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering introductory data science concepts, algorithm properties, pseudo-code syntax, and BigO efficiency metrics.

What is the definition of data as provided in the lecture?

A collection of facts from which conclusions may be drawn.

What are the four types of data listed in the notes?

1. Textual, 2. Numeric, 3. Audio, 4. Video

What is the basic formula or components of an algorithm?

$$\text{Algorithm} = \text{Input} + \text{Process} + \text{Output}$$

What is a Data Structure?

A particular way of storing and organizing data in a computer so that it can be used efficiently and effectively; the logical or mathematical model of a particular organization of data.

List the six fundamental operations performed on data structures.

Traversing, Searching, Insertion, Deletion, Sorting, and Merging.

How is the 'Traversing' operation defined?

Accessing each data element exactly once so that certain items in the data may be processed.

What are the characteristics of a 'good' algorithm?

It must be correct, finite (in time and size), terminating, unambiguous, and space and time efficient.

Why is Natural Language (NL) considered a poor choice for expressing algorithms?

Natural languages are notoriously ambiguous (unclear).

What is pseudo-code?

A shorthand way of describing a computer program using a mixture of Natural Language and Programming Language expressions without specific syntax.

In pseudo-code, what symbol is used as the assignment operator?

The left arrow sign ($\leftarrow$).

In pseudo-code, what symbol represents the equality relation in Boolean expressions?

The equal sign ($=$), which is equivalent to "==" in Java.

How are the indexing ranges defined for an $n$-celled array $A$ in pseudo-code?

The cells are indexed from $A[0]$ to $A[n - 1]$.

What is the primary difference between a pre-condition loop (While/For) and a post-condition loop (Do-While)?

Pre-condition loops check the condition before execution, while post-condition loops always execute the body at least once.

What is BigO Notation?

The industry standard for quantifiably measuring how efficient data structures are at different tasks; it scores them based on Accessing, Searching, Inserting, and Deleting.

What does the variable $n$ represent in a Time Complexity Equation?

The Size of the Data Set (the amount of elements contained within the Data Structure).

Which scenario is always used when judging data structures using BigO notation?

The worst-case scenario.

Why is efficiency measured in number of operations rather than execution time?

Measuring by time is biased towards better hardware; operations provide a hardware-independent measurement.

What does $O(1)$ Time Complexity imply?

Constant Time; the task will be completed in a single instruction regardless of the size of the data set.

What are the six most common Time Complexity Equations mentioned in the lecture?

$O(1)$, $O(n)$, $O(\ln(n))$, $O(n \ln(n))$, $O(n^2)$, and $O(2^n)$.

Which two Time Complexity Equations are described as 'very bad' and 'exponential in structure'?

$O(n^2)$ and $O(2^n)$.