AP CSP Codio Unit 1 Vocabulary

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

The process of repeating a set of instructions in an algorithm until a specific condition is met.

encryption

The process of converting plaintext into a coded format (ciphertext) to prevent unauthorized access.

decryption

the process of decoding 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 or no answer

optimization problem

a problem with the goal of finding the "best" solution among many

decidable problem

A problem for which an algorithm can always find a solution in a finite amount of time

undecidable problem

A problem for which no algorithm can consistently find a solution for all possible inputs

scalibility

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 method that checks each element in a list one at a time until the desired element is found or the list ends

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 any level of software development

Caesar Cipher

A substitution cipher that shifts characters a certain number of positions in the alphabet

Viginere Cipher

A method of encrypting alphabetic text by using a series of different monoalphabet ciphers selected based on the letters of a keyword

Halting Problem

There cannot be a program that will determine which computer programs will halt (or exit) and which programs will go on forever (infinite loop)