AP CSP

Innovation

a new or improved idea, device, or product

Binary

system representing data using two states, typically 0 and 1

Bit

the smallest unit of data in a binary system, representing a single state of 0 or 1; short for binary digit

Bandwidth

the maximum rate of data transfer across a network path, often measured in bits per second

Bit Rate

the number of bits transmitted or processed per unit of time, usually expressed in bits per second (bps)

Latency

the time it takes for data to travel from the source to the destination, often measured in milliseconds

Protocol

a set of rules governing data transmission over a network, ensuring orderly and error-free communication

Internet

a global network of interconnected computers that communicate using standardized protocols, enabling data exchange and access to information

Abstraction

the process of simplifying complex systems by focusing on essential features while hiding unnecessary details; allows for more manageable understanding and problem-solving by reducing complexity.

ASCII

a character encoding standard that uses numeric values to represent text in computers, allowing for communication between different devices and systems; American Standard Code for Information Interchange

IETF

Internet Engineering Task Force- develops and promotes voluntary Internet standards and protocols, in particular the standards that comprise the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP)

Net Neutrality

the principle that Internet service providers must treat all data on the Internet equally, without discriminating or charging differently by user, content, website, platform, or application

IP Address

a unique string of numbers separated by periods that identifies each computer using the Internet Protocol to communicate over a network

Packet

a formatted unit of data carried by a packet-switched network; in networking, packets contain both header and payload information

DNS

Domain Name System; a hierarchical system that translates human-friendly domain names into IP addresses (like 93.184.216.34), enabling browsers to load Internet resources; there are multiple groups of DNS servers such as .com,.org, .net, etc

Network Redundancy

the inclusion of extra components or connections in a network to ensure reliability and availability in case of failure

Router

a networking device that forwards data packets between computer networks, directing traffic on the Internet

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol; a core protocol of the Internet Protocol Suite that ensures reliable communication between devices by establishing a connection and ensuring data delivery.

HTTP

Hypertext Transfer Protocol; an application protocol used for transmitting hypermedia documents, such as HTML, over the Internet

URL

Uniform Resource Locator; a reference or address used to access resources on the Internet, specifying the location of a resource and the protocol used to retrieve it

Heuristic

a problem-solving approach that employs a practical method not guaranteed to be optimal, typically used to find satisfactory solutions efficiently

Lossless Compression

a data compression method that allows the original data to be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data, preserving all information

Lossy Compression

a data compression method that reduces file size by removing some data, often resulting in a loss of quality

Image

a visual representation of an object or scene, often stored in digital formats like JPEG or PNG

Metadata

data that provides information about other data, such as file size, type, and creation date

Pixel

short for "picture element", the fundamental unit of a digital image, typically a tiny square or dot that contains a single point of color of a larger image.

Hexadecimal System

a base-16 numbering system used in computing and digital electronics, often representing colors in web design using digits 0-9 and letters A-F.

RGB

a color model used in digital imaging that combines red, green, and blue light in various intensities to create a wide spectrum of colors; max value of each color is 255 (8 bits)

Algorithm

A set of step-by-step instructions or rules designed to perform a specific task or solve a particular problem in computing

High Level Programming Language

a programming language that is user-friendly and abstracted from machine code, enabling more complex programming tasks with easier syntax and readability

Low Level Programming Language

a programming language that is closely related to machine code, offering little abstraction from hardware and requiring detailed management of system resources

Iterate

to repeat a process or a set of instructions multiple times, usually with the goal of achieving a specific result or until a certain condition is met

Selection

the process of choosing between different options or paths in programming, typically using conditional statements to execute specific code based on certain criteria; uses a Boolean condition to determine, or select, whether or not to run a certain block of statements

Sequencing

the process of executing a set of instructions in the order they are written, ensuring that tasks are carried out step by step from beginning to end

Pair Programming

a collaborative programming technique where two programmers work together at one workstation; one person writes the code (the "driver" or “coder”), while the other reviews each line of code (the "observer" or "navigator")

Function

a reusable block of code designed to perform a specific task or calculation, which can be invoked multiple times throughout a program; functions can take inputs, known as parameters, and return an output.

Top-Down Design

a problem-solving approach that breaks down a complex problem into smaller, more manageable sub-problems, allowing for easier development and understanding

API

Application Program Interface; a set of rules and protocols for building software applications, allowing different programs to communicate and interact with each other

Documentation

a comprehensive guide that explains how to use an API, including its functions, parameters, and response formats

Library

a collection of pre-written code and routines that developers can use to perform common tasks, facilitating easier coding and reducing redundancy

Parameter

a variable used in a function or method to refer to data provided as input; it allows functions to accept different values when called

Comments

notes added to the code by developers to explain or clarify its functionality, which are ignored by the compiler or interpreter

Loop

a programming construct that repeats a group of instructions until a specified condition is met, allowing for efficient code execution

For Loop

a type of loop that executes a block of code a specific number of times, often using a counter or iterator (the variable i)

Big Data

large and complex data sets that traditional data processing software cannot manage efficiently, often used for analysis and insights

Computer Innovation

the development and advancement of technology that enhances computing capabilities, which has a significant impact on various fields such as education, healthcare, and communication

Cipher

a method of transforming information to keep it secure, often using algorithms to encrypt and decrypt messages; Caesar Cipher: a substitution cipher wherein each letter is shifted a certain number of places down or up the alphabet

Encryption

the process of converting information or data into a code to prevent unauthorized access, ensuring confidentiality and security; often involves algorithms that secure data during transmission or storage

Decryption

the process of converting encrypted data back into its original form, allowing authorized users to access the information; often uses algorithms that reverse the encryption process

Cracking Encryption

the process of analyzing and breaking encrypted data without access to the key, often using various techniques to reveal the original information

Random Substitute Cipher

a cryptographic technique where each letter in the plaintext is randomly replaced with a different letter, ensuring that the same letter is always substituted the same way throughout the message

Computationally Hard

a problem that requires significant computational resources and time to solve, often prohibitive in practice for certain algorithms

Key

a piece of information used in encryption algorithms to encode and decode messages, essential for maintaining data confidentiality

Asymmetric Encryption

a cryptographic method that uses a pair of keys—one public and one private—to encrypt and decrypt messages, enhancing security; used by computers

Public Key: allows anyone to encrypt messages, while the private key is kept secret for decryption

Private Key: used solely by the recipient to decrypt messages

SSL

Secure Sockets Layer; a cryptographic protocol that provides secure communication over a computer network, ensuring data integrity and confidentiality.

TLS

Transport Layer Security; a cryptographic protocol that evolved from SSL to provide secure communication over networks, enhancing security and performance

MOD

a mathematical operation that finds the remainder when one integer is divided by another, commonly used in computer science for hashing and encryption (modulo)

Private Key Encryption

a type of encryption that uses a single key for both encryption and decryption, ensuring that only authorized users can access the encrypted data

Public Key Encryption

a type of encryption that uses two keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption, allowing secure communication without prior sharing of a secret key

Antivirus Software

a program designed to detect, prevent, and remove malicious software (malware) from computers and networks by keeping a big list of known viruses and scans your computer to get rid of them

DDoS Attack

Distributed Denial of Service; an attack which aims to overwhelm a target's resources, such as a server or network, by flooding it with excessive traffic from multiple compromised systems, rendering it unavailable to users.

Firewall

a network security device that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules, helping to prevent unauthorized access.

Phishing Scam

a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information by disguising as a trustworthy entity in electronic communications, often through email or websites

Cybercrime

illegal activities conducted via the internet, including hacking, identity theft, and fraudulent financial transactions

Callback Function

a function passed as an argument to another function, which is then invoked after a certain event or condition is met, commonly used in asynchronous programming

Event

a programming construct that is triggered by a specific action, such as user interaction or a change in the state of the program which causes something to happen

Event-Driven Program

a programming model where the flow of execution is determined by events such as user actions or messages from other programs

Event Handling

the process of responding to events in a program, often involving the use of event listeners that execute specific code when an event occurs

Event Listener

a routine in a program that waits for an event to occur and executes specified code in response

UI Elements

components of a user interface that users interact with, such as buttons, text boxes, and menus

User Interface

the space where interactions between humans and machines occur, allowing users to communicate and control the software through visual elements like graphics, text, and controls.

Debugging

the process of identifying and removing errors or bugs in a program to ensure it operates as intended

Data Type

a classification that dictates what kind of value a variable can hold, such as integers, strings, or booleans

Expression

a combination of variables, values, and operators that produces a new value or result in programming

Variable

a named storage location in a program that can hold data and whose value can change during program execution.

Global Variable

a variable that is accessible from any part of a program, typically defined outside of functions or classes

Local Variable

a variable that is defined within a function or block and can only be accessed within that specific scope

Variable Scope

the context in which a variable is defined and accessible, determining its visibility and lifetime within a program

Concatenate

to join two or more strings together to form a single string

String

a sequence of characters used to represent text in programming. Strings can include letters, numbers, and symbols, and are typically enclosed in quotes

Conditionals

allow the program to execute different code paths based on whether a specified condition is true or false

If-Statement

a programming construct that evaluates a condition and executes a block of code if the condition is true

Boolean

a data type that can hold one of two values: true or false, often used in conditional statements to control flow in programming

Boolean Expression

an expression that evaluates to a Boolean value, typically used in conditional statements to determine the flow of execution based on true or false

Models and Simulations

a program which replicates or mimics key features of a real world event in order to investigate its behavior without the cost, time, or danger of running an experiment in real life

Array

specific to JS; a data structure that can hold multiple values, typically of the same type, organized in a single variable, and accessed using an index

List

a data structure that holds an ordered collection of elements, which can be of varying types, and allows for dynamic resizing and straightforward access

Return Value

the output that a function produces after execution, which can be used or assigned to a variable in a program; the result produced by a function after it runs, which can be utilized or stored in a variable.

Index

the position of an element within an array or list, typically represented as a zero-based integer indicating its location

Element

an individual item within a data structure, such as a list or array, which can be accessed or manipulated

Traversals

methods for accessing elements in data structures, often used in trees or graphs to visit each node or element in a structured manner, enabling operations such as searching or modifying data

Argument

a value or reference passed to a function or method to influence its behavior or operations; value passed into a parameter

Problem

a general description of a task that can or cannot be solved with an algorithm

Linear Search

a sequential method for finding an item within a list by checking each element in order until the desired item is found or the list ends

Binary Search

a search algorithm that finds the position of a target value within a sorted array or list by repeatedly dividing the search interval in half; begins by comparing the target value to the middle element of the array and then continues searching in the half where the target value could exist.

Efficiency

the measure of how well an algorithm uses resources, particularly time and space, to complete its task

Computer Science

the study of computers and computational systems, including their theory, development, and applications in solving problems

Simple Device

a basic electronic device that performs a specific function, often involving input and output processes, and serves as a fundamental component in computer systems; on and off, but doubles possibilities every time you add a new device

Decimal System

a numerical system based on ten digits (0-9), used for representing numbers in everyday counting and calculations

Octal System

a numerical system base 8, using digits 0-7, commonly utilized in computing and digital systems for data representation