ap csp vocab

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.

Creative Commons

A collection of public copyright licenses that enable the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work

Intellectual Property

A work or invention that is the result of creativity

Analog Data

Data with values that change continuously

Digital Data

Data that changes discretely through a finite set of possible values

Sampling

A process for creating a digital representation of analog data by measuring the analog data at regular intervals called samples.

Overflow Error

Error from attempting to represent a number that is too large

Round-off Error

Error from attempting to represent a number that is too precise. The value is rounded.

Binary

A way of representing information using only two options

Bit

A contraction of "Binary Digit"

the single unit of information in a computer

typically represented as a 0 or 1.

Byte

8 bits

Decimal

A way of representing information using ten numbers

Digital Divide

differing access to computing devices and the Internet

Domain Name System (DNS)

the system responsible for translating domain names like example.com into IP addresses

HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

the protocol used for transmitting web pages over the Internet

World Wide Web

a system of linked pages

Packet

A chunk of data sent over a network. Larger messages are divided into packets that may arrive at the destination in order

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

Redundancy

The inclusion of extra components so that a system can continue to work even if individual components fail

Router

A type of computer that forwards data across a network

IP Address

The unique number assigned to each device on the Internet

Internet Protocol (IP)

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

Protocol

An agreed-upon set of rules that specify the behavior of some system

Bandwidth

the maximum amount of data that can be sent in a fixed amount of time

Computing Device

a machine that can run a program

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

Path

the series of connections between computing devices on a network starting with a sender and ending with a receiver

Input

data that are sent to a computer for processing by a program. Can come in a variety of forms

Output

any data that are sent from a program to a device. Can come in a variety of forms

User Interface

the inputs and outputs that allow a user to interact with a piece of software. User interfaces can include a variety of forms such as buttons

Event Driven Programming

some program statements run when triggered by an event

Program

a collection of program statements. Programs run (or “execute”) one command at a time.

Program Statement

a command or instruction. Sometimes also referred to as a code statement.

Sequential Programming

program statements run in order

Comment

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

Debugging

Finding and fixing problems in an algorithm or program

Documentation

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

Development Process

the steps or phases used to create a piece of software. Typical phases include investigating

Pair Programming

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

Assignment Operator

allows a program to change the value represented by a variable

Expression

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

String

an ordered sequence of characters

Variable

a named reference to a value that can be used repeatedly throughout a program

Boolean Value

a data type that is either true or false

Comparison Operator

<

Logical Operator

NOT

Conditional Statement

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

Function

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

Function Call

a command that executes the code within a function

Information

the collection of facts and patterns extracted from data.

Big Data

data that is so large that it is difficult or impossible to process using traditional methods. (SAS

Metadata

data about data

Cleaning Data

a process that makes the data uniform without changing its meaning (e.g.

Data Filtering

choosing a smaller subset of a data set to use for analysis

Correlation

a relationship between two pieces of data

Citizen Science

scientific research conducted in whole or part by distributed individuals

Crowdsourcing

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

Data Bias

inaccurate

Data Analytics

The act of analyzing big data sets to look for trends and correlations that aren't visible without analysis

Data Abstraction

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

Element

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

Index

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

List

an ordered collection of elements

Infinite Loop

occurs when the ending condition will never evaluate to true

Iteration

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

Traversal

the process of accessing each item in a list one at a time

Argument

the value passed to the parameter

Parameter

a variable in a function definition. Used as a placeholder for values that will be passed through the function

Return

used to return the flow of control to the point where the procedure (also known as a function) was called and to return the value of expression

Procedural Abstraction

a process and allows a procedure to be used only knowing what it does

API

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

Library

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

Modularity

the subdivision of a computer program into separate subprograms

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

Malware

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

Phishing

a technique that attempts to trick a user into providing personal information. That personal information can then be used to access sensitive online resources

Rouge Access Point

a wireless access point that gives unauthorized access to secure networks

Computing Innovation

includes a program as an integral part of its function. Can be physical (e.g. self-driving car)

Personally Identifiable Information (PPI)

information about an individual that identifies

Decryption

a process that reverses encryption

Encryption

a process of encoding messages to keep them secret

Public Key Encryption

pairs a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption. The sender does not need the receiver’s private key to encrypt a message

Symmetric Key Encryption

involves one key for both encryption and decryption

Computer Virus Scanning Software

protects a computing system against infection

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

Algorithm

a finite set of instructions that accomplish a task

Iteration

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

Problem

a general description of a task that can (or cannot) be solved with an algorithm

Selection

deciding which steps to do next

Sequencing

putting steps in an order

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

Efficiency

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

Linear Search

a search algorithm which checks each element of a list

Reasonable Time

Algorithms with a polynomial efficiency or lower (constant

Unreasonable Time

Algorithms with exponential or factorial efficiencies are examples of algorithms that run in an unreasonable amount of time