AP CSP TEST VOCAB

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Abstraction

the process of removing unnecessary details to focus on essential ones.

Algorithm

a finite set of instructions that accomplish a task.

Analog Data

Data with values that change continuously, or smoothly, over time. Some examples of analog data include music, colors of a painting, or position of a sprinter during a race.

API

Application Program Interface - specifications for how functions in a library behave and can be used

Argument

the value passed to the parameter

Arithmetic operators

These are the symbols used in computer programs for mathematical operations. (+,-,*,/, %)

Assignment statement

stores a value in a variable. The right side is evaluated, and the result is stored in the variable on the left side of the assignment operator, which is the ←

Authentication

involves verifying users requesting access to a system before providing admittance.

Bandwidth

the maximum amount of data that can be sent in a fixed amount of time, usually measured in bits per second.

Bias

discrimination for or against certain groups or individuals. The bias can come from the data used or the way the code was written.

Binary

A way of representing information using only two options, 0 and 1

Binary Search

a search algorithm that starts at the middle of a sorted set of numbers and removes half of the data; this process repeats until the desired value is found or all elements have been eliminated.

Bit

binary digit, which can only be 0 or 1.

Boolean Value

a data type that is either true or false.

Byte

8 bits

Certificate Authority (CA)

A Certificate Authority issues digital certificates that verify that the data encryption code belongs to the organization. This enables the transfer of confidential data such as passwords or credit card information on the associated website.

Citizen Science

scientific research conducted in whole or part by distributed individuals, many of whom may not be scientists, who contribute relevant data to research using their own computing devices.

Clarity

The clarity of a program means how easy it is to understand the code.

Classifying data

involves organizing and identifying categories that fit the data to make it easier to search for patterns and trends leading to insights.

Cleaning Data

a process that makes the data uniform without changing its meaning (e.g., replacing all equivalent abbreviations, spellings, and capitalizations with the same word).

Code segment

can be a single line or a collection of lines of code that are part of a program.

Code statement

sections of a program with an action to be executed.

Collaboration

people working together to produce a quality product.

Comment

form of program documentation written into the program to be read by people and which do not affect how a program runs.

Comparison Operators

Computer virus

spread by attaching itself to a valid file. It can then replicate and spread, either collecting or destroying data and programs.

Computing Device

a machine that can run a program, including computers, tablets, servers, routers, and smart sensors

Computing Innovation

includes a program as an integral part of its function. Can be physical (e.g. self-driving car), non-physical computing software (e.g. picture editing software), or non-physical computing concepts (e.g., e-commerce).

Computing Network

a group of interconnected computing devices capable of sending or receiving data.

Computing System

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

Computing system

when multiple computing devices and programs work together for a specific purpose, such as managing the power grid.

Concatenation

strings are joined or "glued" together to form a new string.

Condition

use the relational operators (

Conditional Statement

affect the sequential flow of control by executing different statements based on the value of a Boolean expression.

Correlation

a relationship between two pieces of data, typically referring to the amount that one varies in relation to the other.

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

Crowdfunding

resources like the Internet to ask people across the globe to donate money to help fund their project or need.

Crowdsourcing

the practice of obtaining input or information from a large number of people via the Internet.

Cybersecurity

protects our computing devices and networks from attacks and unauthorized access.

Data abstraction

manage complexity in programs by giving a collection of data a name without referencing the specific details of the representation.

Data bias

data that does not accurately reflect the full population or phenomenon being studied

Data filtering

choosing a smaller subset of a data set to use for analysis, for example by eliminating / keeping only certain rows in a table

Data mining

analyzes large datasets to search for patterns that can lead to new insights for the organization.

Data stream

segments of data packaged in packets sent through a network such as the Internet.

Debugging

Finding and fixing problems in an algorithm or program.

Decidable problem

an algorithm can be created that provides a yes or no answer for all instances of the problem.

Decision Problem

a problem with a yes/no answer (e.g., is there a path from A to B?)

Decryption

a process that reverses encryption, taking a secret message and reproducing the original plain text.

Development process

the steps or phases used to create a piece of software. Typical phases include investigating, designing, prototyping, and testing

Digital Data

data that changes discretely through a finite set of possible values

Digital Divide

differing access to computing devices and the Internet, based on socioeconomic, geographic, or demographic characteristics

Distributed Computing

a model in which programs are run by multiple devices

Documentation

a written description of how a command or piece of code works or was developed.

Efficiency

a measure of how many steps are needed to complete an algorithm

Element

an individual value in a list that is assigned a unique index

Encryption

a process of encoding messages to keep them secret, so only "authorized" parties can read it.

Event

associated with an action and supplies input data to a program. Can be generated when a key is pressed, a mouse is clicked, a program is started, or by any other defined action that affects the flow of execution.

Event Driven Programming

some program statements run when triggered by an event, like a mouse click or a key press

Expression

a combination of operators and values that evaluates to a single value

Fault Tolerant

Can continue to function even in the event of individual component failures. This is important because elements of complex systems like a computer network fail at unexpected times, often in groups.

Filtering data

selecting a subset of data, sometimes based on its classifications, to use for further analysis.

Function

a named group of programming instructions. Also referred to as a "procedure".

Function Call

a command that executes the code within a function

Heuristic

provides a "good enough" solution to a problem when an actual solution is impractical or impossible

HTTP

HyperText Transfer Protocol - the protocol used for transmitting web pages over the Internet

Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS)

provides the secure processing of a web page. Always check for HTTPS before making a purchase online to ensure your credit card number is encrypted.

Incremental development process

subdivides a program into small modules. Each section is coded, tested, and approved and then added to the larger application and tested with other completed parts of it.

Index

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

Infinite loop

occurs when the ending condition will never evaluate to true.

Information

the collection of facts and patterns extracted from data

Input

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

Intellectual Property

A work or invention that is the result of creativity, such as a piece of writing or a design, to which one has rights and for which one may apply for a patent, copyright, trademark, etc.

Internet

a computer network consisting of interconnected networks that use standardized, open (nonproprietary) communication protocols.

Internet Protocol (IP)

a protocol for sending data across the Internet that assigns unique numbers (IP addresses) to each connected device

IP Address

The unique number assigned to each device on the Internet.

Iteration

a repetitive portion of an algorithm which repeats a specified number of times or until a given condition is met.

Iterative

repeat code a specified number of times or until a condition is true (for this course) using a loop structure.

Iterative development process

repeats the steps of coding, testing, and feedback to refine a section of code until it is complete.

Keylogging

the use of a program to record every keystroke made by a computer user in order to gain fraudulent access to passwords and other confidential information

Library

a group of functions (procedures) that may be used in creating new programs

Linear Search

a search algorithm which checks each element of a list, in order, until the desired value is found or all elements in the list have been checked.

List

an ordered collection of elements

Logic error

A logic error occurs when the code runs but produces incorrect results.

Logical operator

NOT, AND, and OR, which evaluate to a Boolean value.

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 something in which some information is lost or thrown away. This process is not reversible.

Malware

software intended to damage a computing system or to take partial control over its operation

Metadata

data about data, such as the author of a document. It is used to help organize and find data.

Modularity

style of programming that breaks the requirements into smaller pieces until each module does a specific task or set of tasks.

Modulus

This operation provides only the remainder after dividing (%)

Multi-factor Authentication

a system that requires at least two steps to unlock protected information; each step adds a new layer of security that must be broken to gain unauthorized access

Open access

data that is freely available online with limited, if any, copyright restrictions.

Open source

\software is available for anyone to use or modify without restrictions.

Optimization Problem

a problem with the goal of finding the "best" solution among many (e.g., what is the shortest path from A to B?)

Output

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.

Overflow Error

Error from attempting to represent a number that is too large.

Packet

A chunk of data sent over a network. Larger messages are divided into packets that may arrive at the destination in order, out-of-order, or not at all.

Pair Programming

a collaborative programming style in which two programmers switch between the roles of writing code and tracking or planning high level progress

Parallel Computing

a model in which programs are broken into small pieces, some of which are run simultaneously

Parallel computing system

use multiple computers to process a section of a program at the same time. The results are then combined for the complete solution. The devices in a parallel computing system share memory.