AP Computer Science Principles ALL UNITS

bias

Prejudice or systematic error in computing innovations that can result from algorithms or data, reflecting existing human prejudices.

collaboration

The process of working together with others to develop computing innovations that benefit from diverse talents and perspectives.

communication

The exchange of information between developers and users to understand needs and incorporate diverse perspectives into computing innovations.

computing innovation

A new or improved computer-based product, service, or concept that includes a program as an integral part of its function, which can be physical, nonphysical software, or a nonphysical concept.

conflict resolution

The process of addressing and resolving disagreements or disputes that arise during collaboration.

consensus building

The process of working toward agreement among team members on decisions and goals.

consultation

The process of seeking input and advice from users and stakeholders during the development of computing innovations.

diversity of talents and perspectives

The range of different skills, experiences, and viewpoints that team members bring to the development of a computing innovation.

feedback

Information or comments provided by others to evaluate, critique, or improve ideas, code, or documents.

interpersonal skills

Abilities used to interact effectively with others, including communication, consensus building, conflict resolution, and negotiation.

negotiation

The process of discussing and reaching agreement on terms, decisions, or compromises within a collaborative team.

pair programming

A collaborative development practice where two programmers work together at the same workstation, with one writing code and the other reviewing it in real-time.

audio output

Program output in the form of sound or music produced by a device.

code segment

A portion of a program consisting of one or more lines of code that performs a specific function.

computing innovation

A new or improved computer-based product, service, or concept that includes a program as an integral part of its function, which can be physical, nonphysical software, or a nonphysical concept.

creative expression

The use of computing innovations to create, communicate, or share ideas, art, or other forms of human expression.

event

An action associated with input data that is supplied to a program, such as a key press or mouse click.

event-driven programming

A programming approach where program statements are executed when triggered by events rather than through sequential flow of control.

execution

The process of running a program or code segment on a computer.

program

A collection of program statements that performs a specific task when run by a computer; also referred to as software.

program behavior

How a program functions during execution, often described by how a user interacts with it.

program input

Data in various forms (tactile, audio, visual, or text) that is sent to a program for processing.

program output

Any data sent from a program to a device, which can take various forms such as tactile, audio, visual, or text.

program state

The current values and conditions of a program's internal variables and data at any given time.

program statements

Individual instructions or commands that make up a program or code segment.

purpose

The intended goal or function of a computing innovation, such as solving a problem or enabling creative expression.

tactile output

Program output that can be felt or perceived through touch, such as vibrations or haptic feedback.

text output

Program output in the form of written characters or strings displayed to the user.

visual output

Program output displayed on a screen or device that can be seen, such as images, graphics, or animations.

acknowledge

To formally recognize and credit the source or author of code segments used in a program.

code segment

A portion of a program consisting of one or more lines of code that performs a specific function.

collaborative

Developed or created jointly with other programmers or sources.

comments

A form of program documentation written into the program to be read by people that does not affect how a program runs.

design phase

The stage in program development where the approach to accomplishing a program specification is outlined and planned.

designing

A phase of program development where developers plan the structure and approach for solving the problem.

development process

A systematic approach to creating a program that may be ordered and intentional or exploratory in nature.

functional components

Individual parts of a program designed to perform specific functions or operations.

incremental development process

A development process that breaks a problem into smaller pieces and ensures each piece works before integrating it into the whole program.

investigating and reflecting

A phase of program development where developers examine the problem, gather information, and think critically about requirements and solutions.

investigation

The process of gathering information to understand program requirements, constraints, and the needs of users.

iterative development process

A development process that involves repeated cycles of refinement and revision based on feedback, testing, or reflection, which may require revisiting earlier phases.

module

Distinct, self-contained components of a program that can be organized and developed separately.

origin

The source or starting point of code, including where it came from or who originally created it.

program constraints

Limitations or restrictions that affect how a program can be designed and developed.

program documentation

A written description of the function of a code segment, event, procedure, or program and how it was developed.

program requirements

The specifications and conditions that define what a program must accomplish and how it should behave.

program specification

A detailed definition of the requirements that a program must meet.

prototyping

A phase of program development where developers create a preliminary version of the program to test ideas and concepts.

storyboarding

A planning technique used during the design phase to visualize the sequence of user interactions and program flow.

testing

A phase of program development where developers verify that the program works correctly and meets requirements.

testing strategy

A plan developed during the design phase that outlines how a program will be tested to ensure it meets its requirements.

user interface

The visual and interactive elements of a program that allow users to interact with and control the application.

user testing

A method of investigation where actual or potential users interact with a program to provide feedback on its functionality and design.

algorithm

Step-by-step procedures or sets of rules designed to solve a problem or accomplish a task.

debuggers

Software tools that help programmers find and correct errors by allowing them to step through code execution and inspect variables.

defined inputs

Specific, predetermined data values used to test an algorithm or program.

expected behaviors

The correct or anticipated actions and responses that an algorithm or program should exhibit when executed.

expected outputs

The correct or anticipated results that an algorithm or program should produce for given inputs.

extremes

The minimum and maximum boundary values of input data used in testing to verify program behavior at limits.

hand tracing

A debugging technique where a programmer manually follows the execution of a program step-by-step to identify errors.

logic error

A mistake in an algorithm or program that causes it to behave incorrectly or unexpectedly.

overflow error

An error that occurs when a computer attempts to handle a number that is outside of the defined range of values.

program

A collection of program statements that performs a specific task when run by a computer; also referred to as software.

program input

Data in various forms (tactile, audio, visual, or text) that is sent to a program for processing.

program requirements

The specifications and conditions that define what a program must accomplish and how it should behave.

run-time error

A mistake in a program that occurs during the execution of a program.

syntax error

A mistake in a program where the rules of the programming language are not followed.

test cases

Specific inputs and expected outputs used to verify that a program behaves correctly.

testing

A phase of program development where developers verify that the program works correctly and meets requirements.

visualizations

Graphical representations of program execution or data structures used to identify and understand errors.

abstraction

The process of reducing complexity by focusing on main ideas and hiding irrelevant details to allow focus on the essential concept.

analog data

Data that have values changing smoothly and continuously over time, such as pitch, volume, or position.

binary

A base-2 number system that uses only the digits 0 and 1 to represent data.

bit

Shorthand for binary digit; the smallest unit of data in computing, represented as either 0 or 1.

byte

A unit of digital data consisting of 8 bits.

constants

Fixed data values that do not change during program execution.

data

Information represented in a form that can be processed by a program, such as numbers, text, or records.

decimal

A base-10 number system that uses the digits 0-9 to represent data.

fixed number of bits

A predetermined, limited quantity of bits allocated to represent a data value in programming languages, which constrains the range of representable values.

integers

Whole numbers (positive, negative, or zero) that are represented in programming languages using a fixed number of bits.

number bases

Different systems for representing numerical values, such as binary (base 2) and decimal (base 10).

overflow

An error that occurs when a computed value exceeds the maximum value that can be represented by a fixed number of bits.

place value

The numeric value assigned to a digit's position in a number, determined by the base raised to the power of the position.

real numbers

Numbers that include both integers and decimal values, represented in programming languages with a fixed number of bits as approximations.

roundoff error

An error that occurs when real numbers are approximated in computer storage due to limitations in the fixed number of bits used to represent them.

sampling

A technique for approximating analog data digitally by measuring values of an analog signal at regular intervals.

variable

A named container in a program that stores a value which can be changed through assignment.

bit

Shorthand for binary digit; the smallest unit of data in computing, represented as either 0 or 1.

data compression algorithms

Methods or procedures used to reduce the number of bits needed to represent data while maintaining or approximating the original information.

lossless data compression

A compression algorithm that reduces the number of bits stored or transmitted while guaranteeing complete reconstruction of the original data.

lossy data compression

A compression algorithm that significantly reduces the number of bits stored or transmitted but only allows reconstruction of an approximation of the original data.

redundancy

Repetition or unnecessary duplication in data representation that can be reduced through compression.

bias

Prejudice or systematic error in computing innovations that can result from algorithms or data, reflecting existing human prejudices.

causal relationship

A relationship where one variable directly causes changes in another variable, as opposed to merely being correlated.

conclusion

A judgment or decision reached by analyzing and interpreting data from one or more sources.

correlation

A relationship between two variables in data where changes in one variable are associated with changes in another.

data

Information represented in a form that can be processed by a program, such as numbers, text, or records.

data cleaning

The process of making data uniform and consistent without changing their meaning, such as standardizing abbreviations, spellings, and capitalizations.

data set

A collection of related data values organized for processing and analysis.

data sources

Origins or locations from which data are collected or obtained.