APCSP VOCAB

abstraction

a general representation of something -- of some person or place or event or process. An abstraction extracts common features from specific examples in order to generalize concepts. Words, symbols, maps, and models are all examples of everyday abstractions.

abstraction layer

The Internet is organized into several of these which are controlled by various protocols. From the bottom up, we have the link layer (Ethernet protocol), the Internet layer (IP), transport layer (TCP), and application layer (HTTP).

accumulator

a special register in the CPU where data is put in order to peform arithmetic and logic operations.

ADT

defines a general data type like list that describes a collection of data without worrying about the specific implementation.

algorithm

a precise sequence of instructions for processes that can be implemented by a programming language and executed by a computer.

algorithm

a step-by-step procedures for solving a particular problem.

ALU

the part of the CPU that performs all logic and arithmetic operations.

analog

refers to data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time like sound and music files

AND gate

a circuit with two inputs and one output defined such that its output is TRUE (or ON) only when both of its inputs are TRUE (or ON).

API

for a program or web service defines how other programs can communicate with it and use it.

API

The Application Programming Interface for a program or web service defines how other programs can communicate with it and use it.

arguments

specify the values of the parameters when a procedure is called.

artificial intelligence

A branch of computer science that works on creating machines and programs that exhibit human-like intelligence.

ASCII

short for American Standard Code for Information Interchange is a character encoding scheme in which each character is represented by a 7-bit (originally) or 8-bit binary sequence. For example, the ASCII sequence 01000001 represents the letter 'A'.

assembly language

low-level language that uses symbolic names, rather than binary sequences of 0s and 1s, to represent the machine language instructions.

assignment

sets a variable to a value or a mathematical expression.

asymmetric cipher

A cipher in which separate but related keys are used for encryption and decryption.

back propagation

A algorithm that repeatedly adjusts the connections (weights) between the nodes in the neural network

bandwidth

the rate at which data is downloaded or uploaded in a network

base

the number of distinct digits or symbols used to represent numbers in that system. Our decimal system is base-10 because it uses 10 digits, 0 through 9.

binary number system

number system in which all numbers are represented in terms of the 2 binary digits, 0 and 1.

binary search

a search algorithm that repeatedly divides a sorted list to narrow in on the searched-for item

binary sequence

a sequence of 0s and 1s.

biometrics

using unique physical characteristics such as finger prints, face recognition, etc. for identification

bit

a single binary digit, either 0 or 1. It is the smallest unit of data in a computer.

bit

short for 'binary digit'

bitmap

a type of memory organization or image file format used to store digital images.

blacklist

In internet terminology, a blacklist is a generic term for a list of email addresses or IP addresses for organizations that known to be spammers.

boolean

condition is a true/false condition. It is named after George Boole (1815-1864) an English mathematician.

browser

a program that displays web pages and is used to navigate the WWW.

brute force

solve by trial and error; trying every possible option

brute force attack

An attempt to try every possible encryption key to break a secret message.

byte

A group of eight binary digits or bits.

byte

equals 8 bits.

centralized

when the resources and workload are coordinated and managed by a centralized computer (server)

certificate authority

An entity that issues digital certificates.

character

any symbol that requires one byte of storage.

chip

an informal way of describing an integrated circuit (IC) consisting of millions of tiny circuits.

cipher

A system for creating secret messages.

ciphertext

unreadable, secret message.

client

A computer or software application that requests services from a server located on the internet -- e.g., a Web browser is an example of a client.

cloud computing

relies on sharing resources online on the Internet rather than having data and process located on a personal computer.

comment

a non-executable block of text that can be added to a program to provide clarification and documentation of the code.

compilation

The process of translating the entire source code into a single binary file.

computer

a machine that processes information under the control of a program.

computer bug

An informal term for error in computer hardware or software -- the term was coined by Grace Hopper.

computer bug

An informal term for error in computer hardware or software -- the term was coined by Grace Hopper.

Computing Innovation

includes a program as an integral part of its function. Can be physical, non-physical computing software, or non-physical computing concepts. For example, self-driving cars, picture editing software, e-commerce, a mobile app

computing system

A group of computing devices and programs working together for a common purpose.

concatenation

Putting two strings together to make a new string.

constant

such as the numeral '5', is an abstraction that represents a single thing, e.g., the value 5.

control structure

a block of programming statements that controls the flow or behavior of an algorithm.

Cookies

Small files or bits of data that are stored on your computer.

copyright

a legal right that grants the creator of an original work exclusive rights for its use and distribution

CPU

that part of the computer's hardware that carries out the instructions of a computer program.

CPU

the part of the computer's hardware that interprets and runs the computer program.

creative commons

a set of licenses that allow creators to communicate which rights they reserve, and which rights they waive for the benefit of recipients or other creators

cryptography

means secret writing. It is the science of protecting information by transforming it into an unreadable format.

cryptography

The art and science of writing secret messages. 'secret writing'

CSV

A simple text format for data files is to put each row on a separate line with the column separated by commas.

cyberspace

a metaphor for describing the non-physical terrain created by computer systems.

data

the distinct information that is formatted in a special way. Exists in a variety of forms, like text on paper or bytes stored in electronic memory.

data abstraction

provides a general way to access a collection of data.

data abstraction

the practice of organizing and encapsulating certain data into a more general representation. An example would be storing the text 'hello' in a single variable rather than having numerous occurrences of 'hello' in a program.

data center

a physical or virtual infrastructures used by enterprises to house computer, server and networking systems and components for the company's IT (information technology) needs.

data network

a telecommunications network which allows computers to exchange data.

Data Privacy

assures that personal information (and sometimes corporate confidential information as well) are collected, processed (used), protected and destroyed legally and fairly

Data Security

controls access to personal information and protects against its unauthorized use and acquisition

Data Storage

This is how you archive your data. The two types of storage are hard data (RAM, Hard Drive, flash drives, solid state) and remote data (cloud computing)

data type

The type of data stored in a variable, for example number, string, boolean, or list.

database

one way to store persistent data. Examples include TinyDB and Firebase.

debugging

The process of removing errors from computer hardware or software.

debugging

The process of removing errors from computer hardware or software.

decentralized

when the allocation of resources and workload are distributed to individual devices on a network

decidable problems

problems in which an algorithm can be constructed to answer 'yes' or 'no' for all inputs (e.g., 'is the number even?').

decimal number system

a base-10 system that we use every day, consisting of the symbols 0 through 9.

decision problem

a problem that has a yes or no answer

decryption

The process of using a secret key to convert ciphertext into plaintext.

deep learning

A type of very successful machine learning algorithm using neural networks with many layers to learn data representations on its own from massive amounts of data.

deterministic

Completely predictable, an example would be a PRNG.

diffie-hellman

An algorithm used to establish a shared secret between two parties. It is primarily used to exchange a symmetric cryptographic key among two parties, Alice and Bob, who wish to communicate securely.

digital

any system based on discontinuous data or events. Computers are digital machines because at the basic level they can distinguish between just two values, 0 and 1.

digital certificate

A data packet that certifies the holder of a public key.

digital divide

the gap between those who have access to the Internet and computers and those who do not, usually affected by socioeconomic, geographic, or demographic characteristics.

digital signal processing

refers to manipulating analog information.

disk drive

a randomly addressable and rewritable storage device.

distributed computing

a computational model in which multiple networked computers are used to run a program

DMCA

US copyright law that criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures that control access to copyrighted works

DNS

An Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses.

domain name

A hierarchical name (such as trincoll.edu) that identifies a domain and an institution on the Internet. Top levels include com, edu, gov.

download

to copy data (usually an entire file) from an online source to a personal computer.

DRM

various access control technologies that are used to restrict usage of proprietary hardware and copyrighted works

efficiency

how well an algorithm uses time and memory/space resources, CPU and RAM.

encryption

The process of using a secret key to convert plaintext into ciphertext.

encryption key

A piece of secret data used in by encryption and decryption algorithms.

ethernet

A network that uses wires to connect computers.

even parity

the number of 1s in the sequence add up to an even number.

Event Handler

A block of code that reacts to an event like a button click.

Event-driven Programming

the program is activated by events such as button clicks.

expression

involves values, variables, and operators for example (a+b)/2