APCSP.All Vocab

bit

binary digit

Byte

a group of 8 bits

Heuristic

a problem solving approach (algorithm) to find a satisfactory solution where finding an optimal or exact solution is impractical or impossible.

Compress

to decrease the number of bits used to represent a piece of information

Lossless Compression

a data compression algorithm that allows the original data to be perfectly reconstructed from the compressed data.

analog data

A continuous representation of data (ie. music)

Digital Data

A discrete (Separate) representation of data

Sampling

A process for creating digital representations of analog data by measuring the data at regular intervals called samples

Pixel

Short for "picture element" it is the fundamental unit of a digital image, typically a tiny square or dot which contains a single point of color of a larger image.

RGB

uses varying intensities of Red, Green, and Blue light are added together in to reproduce a broad array of colors.

Metadata

data that describes other data

Binary

A number system using the numbers 1 and 0

round-off error

error that results when the number of bits is not enough to represent the actual number, like 3 digits to represent π as 3.14

Overflow error

An error that occurs when the computer attempts to handle a number that is too large for it.

Abstraction

a simplified representation of something more complex

Lossy Compression

data compression techniques in which some amount of data is lost. This technique attempts to eliminate redundant information.

Copyright

Gives control of artwork to author

Creative Commons

A kind of copyright that makes it easier for people to copy, share, and build on your creative work, as long as they give you credit for it.

Net Neutrality

the principle that all Internet traffic should be treated equally by Internet Service Providers.

Internet Censorship

government attempts to control internet traffic, thus preventing some material from being viewed by a country's citizens

computing device

An electronic machine that uses binary data to automatically perform calculations.

Computing System

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

Path

The series of connections between computing devices on a network starting with a sender and ending with a receiver

Bandwith

The maximum amount of data that can pass from one point to another in a unit of time

broadcast communication

single sender and many receivers (radio and TV)

Protocol

An agreed upon set of rules that specify the behavior of some system

IP address

A number assigned to any item that is connected to the Internet.

Internet Protocol (IP)

A set of rules responsible for disassembling, delivering, and reassembling packets over the Internet that assigns a number to each connected device

Router

A device that transfers data from one network to another in an intelligent way

redudancy

The inclusion of extra components so a system can continue to work even if individual components fail

fault tolerance

the ability for a system to respond to unexpected failures or system crashes as the backup system immediately and automatically takes over with no loss of service

Datastream

Info passed through the internet in packets

Packet metadata

Data added to packets to help route them through the network and reassemble the original message

Packet

A chunk of data transmitted as a unit over a network

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

provides reliable, ordered, and error-checked delivery of a stream of packets on the internet

User Datagram Protocol (UDP)

A protocol for sending packets quickly with minimal error checking and minimal resending if dropped packages

Scalibility

ability of a system to meet increased service demands

World Wide Web (WWW)

a system of computers that share information by means of links on web pages

Internet

Network used to access files; a computer network consisting of interconnected networks that use standardized, open (nonproprietary) communication protocols

Domain Name System (DNS)

Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

The set of rules that controls the transfer of web pages. It is a protocol that allows web browsers to talk to web servers. (helps internet scale)

digital divide

Differing access to computing devices and the internet based in socioeconomic, geographic, or demographic characteristics

User Interface

The visual elements of an program through which a user controls or communications the application. Often abbreviated UI. (Inputs and outputs)

Input

data that is sent to a computer for processing by a program. Can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile interaction, audio, visuals, or text.

Output

The results of the operation of any system; any data that are sent from a program to a device. Can come in a variety of forms, such as tactile interaction, audio, visuals, or text

State of the program

The information that is stored and changed while a program runs

Program Statement

A command or instruction

program

An algorithm that has been coded into something that can be run by a machine.

execution

The process of running a program

Sequential Programming

The style of writing code in a "top-down" format; statement execution occurs in order from the beginning to the end of the code.

Event

An action detected by a program

Event-driven programming

a programming approach whereby the program's behavior is controlled by writing code that responds to various events that occur, such as Button clicks.

Comment

Notes written into a program to be read by people and do not affect how the program runs

Debugging

Finding and fixing problems in your algorithm or program.

Documentation

written description of the functions of a software program

Variables

Used to store information while a program is running

Expression

A combination of operators and operands (variables and values) that represents a single result value. Evaluated to give that result.

Assignment Operator

The '=' character causes the compiler or interpreter to evaluate to the expression on its right and store the result in the variable(s) on its left.

Global Variable

A variable whose scope is "global" to the program, it can be used and updated by any part of the code. Its global scope is typically derived from the variable being declared (created) outside of any function, object, or method.

local variable

A variable with local scope is one that can only be seen, used and updated by code within the same scope. Typically this means the variable was declared (created) inside a function -- includes function parameter variables.

Boolean value

True or False

Boolean Expression

An expression that is either true or false.

Function

a named group of programming instructions. Procedural abstractions that reduce the complexity of writing and maintaining programs

Function call

The place in your program where you call a function you have defined

List

Ordered collection of elements

Element

Individual value in a list that is assigned a unique index

Index

Common method for referencing the elements in a list or string using numbers

Length

How many elements something contains

While loop

a programming construct used to repeat a set of commands (loop) as long as (while) a boolean condition is true

for loop

A particular kind of looping construct provided in many languages. Defines a counting variable that is checked and incremented on each iteration in order to loop a specific number of times.

Iteration

repetition

Infinite loop

A loop in which the terminating condition is never satisfied.

Traversal

Access each item in a list one item at a time

Problem

A general description of a task that can or can't be solved with an algorithm

Algorithm

a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem

Sequencing

Putting commands in correct order so computers can read the commands.

Selection

A generic term for a type of programming statement (usually an if-statement) that uses a Boolean condition to determine, or select, whether or not to run a certain block of statements.

Efficiency

How many steps are needed to complete an algorithm

Linear search

a method for finding a target value within a list. It sequentially checks each element of the list for the target value until a match is found or until all the elements have been searched.

Binary Search

Looking for an item in an already sorted list by eliminating large portions of the data on each comparison (start @ middle and delete half, repeat)

# of steps is the # of bits needed to represent the number of inputs in binary

reasonable time

polynomial in the number of steps an algorithm takes in the worst case based on the input size

Unreasonable time

Algorithms with exponential (ie. 2^x) or factorial (ie. x!) efficiencies.

Heuristic

a problem solving approach (algorithm) to find a satisfactory solution where finding an optimal or exact solution is impractical or impossible.

undecidable problem

Where no algorithm can be made that always leads to a correct yes or no answer.

Optimization problem

choosing the best option among alternatives

Unreasonable problem

There is no algorithm that can be used to solve the problem in a reasonable amount of time

Sequential computing

Programs run in order

Parallel Computing

The simultaneous execution of the same task on multiple processors to obtain results faster.

Distributed computing

processes and manages algorithms across many machines in a computing environment

Speed up

The time used to complete a task sequentially divided by the time to complete a task in parallel

Arguement

The value passed through the parameter

Parameter

Used as a placeholder for values that will be passed through the function

Return

Used to return the function to where the procedure was called and return the value of expression; stops the function

Library

a collection of commands / functions, typically with a shared purpose

Application Programming Interface (API)

Specifications for how functions in a library behave and can be used

Modularity

The subdivision of a computer program into separate sub programs

Correlation

similarity or relationship between

Causation

A cause and effect relationship in which one variable controls the changes in another variable.

Big data

a broad term for datasets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate.

Open data

Info accessible to public