AP Comp. Sci Principles Vocab Unit 1

Byte

Byte

8 digit form of info made of bits, 0-255 are represented. Ex. 10010010 or 11101101

Bits

a contraction of “Binary Digit,” the single unit of information in a computer, typically represented as a 0 or 1

Binary Number

A way of representing information using only two options; what makes up bits and bytes, 0 or 1 combined to make binary

Overflow Error

error from attempting to represent a number that is too large ex. 1111 to 0000 overflow!

Round-off Error

error from attempting to represent a number that is too precise. The value is rounded Ex. $.48 — 0001 — $.50

Abstraction

hide background details or unnecessary information about the data so users only see required information. Ex. 1. type text 2. computer translates to ASCII 3. translates to binary

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

Copyright

rules creators have to follow in order to not steal intellectual property

Intellectual Property

a work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as 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

Decimal

a way of representing information using ten options

Analog Data

data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time. Ex. music, colors of a painting, 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