AP computer science principles - Unit 1

Decimal Number

a base 10 number with ten possible different digits

Binary Number

a base 2 number with two possible different digits

Bit

a contraction of “binary digit”; the single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as a 0 or a 1

Byte

8 bits

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

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.

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.

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