AP COMP SCI FULL REVIEW

Computing Innovation

an innovation that uses a program as a key part of its function.

Computing Innovation Examples

Physical: Robots, Tablets, smart tech. Non-physical: Social Media, Video Games.

Collaboration

allows for diverse ideas and thoughts that cater to different people.

Pair Programming

when two people share one computer and take turns coding.

Purpose

what a program is designed to do (e.g., solving problems, creative expression).

Code Segments

a smaller collection of statements that are part of a program.

Code Statements

individual instructions.

Program Inputs

pieces of data (visual, auditory, touch, etc.) that a computer takes in and processes.

Program Outputs

the data (same types as inputs) that the computer returns.

Program Events

an action that gives a program data to respond to.

Program Behavior

how a program will respond to a user interacting with it.

Iterative Development Process

develop working prototypes of a program and go back through the cycle to redevelop the program.

Incremental Development Process

break a problem into small parts and then reassemble the solution when each part is fixed.

Program Documentation

a description of how something in your program works.

Comments

program documentation written directly into the program itself.

Logic Errors

unexpected behavior in a program's output.

Syntax Errors

the code does not work properly because it is typed or written incorrectly.

Run-Time Errors

error occurs while code runs.

Overflow Errors

the numbers are too big for the computer.

Hand Tracing

manually tracking your variables' values as your program goes along.

Print Statements

printing out values to make sure they're correct.

Data

a collection of facts.

Bits

binary digits used to store data in computing devices.

Machine Code

the language computers read, usually in the binary system.

Abstraction

reduces complexity by focusing on the most important parts and hiding irrelevant details from the user.

Binary Numbers

numbers represented using 0s and 1s.

Bits to Bytes

8 bits = 1 byte.

Hexadecimal

base 16 system used for RGB color codes.

ASCII Code

converts text to binary format.

Analog Data

measured continuously and changes smoothly.

Digital Data

measured digitally and leaves out extra data by simplifying the data collected.

Data Compression

dependent on the method used and the amount of repeated info in the data.

Lossless Compression

less compression and better file quality.

Lossy Compression

more compression and worse file quality.

Metadata

data about data.

Data Mining

examining very large data sets to find information.

Transforming Data

editing or modifying data (e.g., doubling every number/graphing data points).

Cleaning Data

making data uniform without changing its meaning (e.g., correcting misspelled words).

Pseudocode

a simplified representation of code often used on the AP CSP exam.

Index in AP Pseudocode

starts at 1.

Data Types

categories like numbers, strings, lists, and booleans.

Strings

an ordered list of characters ("hello world").

Substrings

part of a string ("ello").

String Concatenation

connecting two or more strings with a "+".

List

an ordered sequence of elements (also called an array).

Element

an individual value in a list.

Index

the position of an element in a list.

Booleans

values that are either True or False.

Logical Operators

NOT, AND, and OR used with booleans.

Loops

traverse through lists, arrays, or strings.

Mathematical Operators

symbols like / and % used in operations.

MOD (%)

gives the remainder of two numbers.

Algorithm

instructions that accomplish a task or solve a problem, created using sequencing, selection, and iteration.

Sequencing

executing code in the order it is written.

Selection

conditional (if) statements with conditions that must be met for execution.

Else Statement

specifies what happens if an if-statement condition is not met.

Nested Conditional Statements

conditional statements inside other conditional statements.

Iteration

repeating code using loops (e.g., "repeat n times," "repeat until").

Binary Search

algorithm that searches by splitting data and eliminating half at each step.

Procedures

programming instructions, also called methods or functions.

Parameters

input variables of a procedure.

Arguments

defined values passed to a procedure.

Abstraction in Procedures

calling a procedure without knowing how it works.

Internet

interconnection of networks.

Computer Network

multiple computing devices communicating with each other.

Data Packets

small units of data with metadata for routing.

Routing

finding the best path to deliver information.

Path

sequence of connected computing devices from sender to receiver.

Bandwidth

rate of data transfer, measured in megabits per second.

Protocol

set of rules (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP).

World Wide Web

a system of web pages, programs, and files that runs on the Internet.

Scalability

ability to change size and scale to meet new demands.

Fault Tolerance

ability to function despite partial malfunctions.

Redundancy

duplication to improve fault tolerance.

Sequential Computing

traditional programming where tasks are processed one at a time.

Parallel Computing

breaking a program into smaller operations and processing them simultaneously.

Distributed Computing

multiple devices communicate to run a program.

Sequential Solution Time

sum of all steps in a program (a + b + c).

Parallel Solution Time

minimum time when independent steps are processed simultaneously.

Speedup

sequential solution time divided by parallel solution time.

Digital Divide

gap between those with and without internet access.

Factors of Digital Divide

demographics, socioeconomic status, and geographic location.

Computing Bias

reflects racial, gender, or other biases in computing innovations.

Intellectual Property

creations people consider their own.

Copyright

determines who can use a creation.

Creative Commons

license allowing creators to give others rights to use their work.

Open Sourcing

sharing, distributing, and modifying work freely.

Open Access

unrestricted public access to research.

Crowdsourcing

gathering input from a large online audience.

Citizen Science

public involvement in scientific research.

Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

data that can identify an individual.

Virus

attaches to infected files and requires user activation.

Worm

operates independently and spreads through systems.

Malware

malicious software that takes control of a system.

Phishing

tricking individuals into giving personal information by pretending to be trustworthy.

Multi-Factor Authentication

requiring multiple verification methods.

Encryption

encoding data to prevent unauthorized access.

Key

secret information used for encryption.

Symmetric Key Encryption

one key for both encryption and decryption.

Public Key Encryption

uses a public key to encrypt and a private key to decrypt.