CSE: App Creators Vocabulary

Computer Scientists

Scientists who apply their knowledge of computation to creating solutions using a computer system.

Mobile Application (or app)

A type of software application designed to run on a mobile device, such as a smartphone or tablet computer.

Computer Science

The science of creating artifacts and solving problems using the help of a computer. Some of the areas of focus include software engineering, programming, data analysis, algorithms, graphics, and animation.

Camelcase

The writing of compound words (like variable names, procedure names, and file names) by starting each word with a capital letter.

Emulator

A simulator that imitates a program or events.

Algorithm

An ordered set of instructions that are used to carry out a task.

Flowchart

A diagram that represents an algorithm, work flow, or process, and uses geometric symbols connected by arrows to show the direction of the flow of action.

Incremental Approach

An approach to programming where the programmer adds and tests code in small chunks at a time to make sure it behaves the way they want it to, before adding more code.

Program

A set of instructions that a computer executes to achieve a particular objective.

End User

A representative consumer for whom a hardware or software product is designed.

User Interface (UI)

The visual part of a computer app or operating system, through which an end user interacts with the computing device or software.

View Layer

The layer of an app that the user sees and interacts with.

Controller Layer

The layer of an app that contains the program that tells the app how to behave.

Event

An action or occurrence that happens during runtime that will trigger a response or behavior by the software. Examples of events include user-initiated events, such as clicking a button, or external events, such as the device receiving an SMS text message.

Runtime

The period when a program is running. Runtime begins when a program is opened (or executed) and ends when the program is closed.

Event-Driven Programming

Type of computer programming where the program responds to an input (or trigger).

Event Handler

A block of code that is triggered when a certain event happens.

User-Initiated Event

In a program, an event that is triggered by user interaction with the user interface.

Abstraction

The process of reducing complexity by hiding unnecessary details to make it easier to think about a problem.

Conditional Statement

A command that performs different actions depending on whether a condition is true or false.

Boolean Logic

A form of mathematics in which an expression is reduced to either True or False.