AP Comp Sci Principle unit 1

Strong Password

A password that is easy for a user to remember but would be difficult for someone else to guess based on knowledge of that user.

Algorithm

A finite set of instructions that accomplish a specific task.

Abstraction

The process of reducing complexity by focusing on the main idea.

Sequencing

The application of each step of an algorithm in the order in which the code statements are given.

Selection

Determines which parts of an algorithm are executed based on a condition being true or false.

Iteration

A repeating portion of an algorithm.

Encryption

The process of encoding data to prevent unauthorized access.

Decryption

The process of decoding the data.

Programming Languages

Used to implement algorithms executed by programs.

Problem

A general description of a task that can (or cannot) be solved algorithmically.

Instance of a Problem

A specific task that needs to be solved with specific input.

Decision Problem

A problem with a yes/no answer.

Optimization Problem

A problem with the goal of finding the 'best' solution among many.

Decidable Problem

A decision problem for which an algorithm can be written to produce a correct output for all inputs.

Undecidable Problem

A problem in which no algorithm can be constructed that always leads to a correct yes-or-no answer.

Scalability

The capacity for a system to change in size and scale to meet new demands.

Efficiency

An estimation of the amount of computational resources used by an algorithm.

Linear (Sequential) Search

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

Binary Search

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

Heuristic

An approach to a problem that produces a solution that is not guaranteed to be optimal but may be used when techniques that are guaranteed to always find an optimal solution are impractical.

Algorithmic Bias

Bias embedded into algorithms and at any level of software development.

Levels of Processing

The different stages at which data is handled, ranging from low-level (binary, ambiguous) to high-level (python, unambiguous).